Melagowam Gijam Daam Yurunya (This is our Gija Country) Accession Number: AWM2019.1192.1

Description

As part of being exhibited in the 2019 Napier Waller Art Prize exhibition, Mark Nodea (Gija), provided the following artist statement about his work:

"It was in the 1990s when I joined NORFORCE. We had our own group in Warmun: the Gija Patrol with six men. This is the Country where we were doing all our military activity. We patrolled on Gija lands. We used to get permissions from traditional owners to access their Country. We patrolled all around Warmun, and we even went up to Ooboogooma and Kalumburu, and we teamed up with that mob from up there. This painting is of the Gija lands we patrolled. That Gardiya (army whitefella) showed us how to use machines and goggles and all that thing, but we showed them how to survive in the bush. We gave them our knowledge – traditional knowledge." (Mark Nodea, 2019).

'Melagowan Gijam Daam Yurunya (This is our Gija Country)' was judged highly commended as part of the Memorial's 2019 Napier Waller Art Prize. Presented in partnership with Thales Australia, the University of Canberra, The Road Home, and the Department of Veteran's Affairs (DVA), the Napier Waller Art Prize aims to promote artistic excellence, the healing potential of art for military personnel, and raise a broader awareness of the impact of service on the individual. In its second year, the Napier Waller Art Prize attracted over 110 entries.

Details

Conflicts

• Period 2010-2019

Units

• Norforce

Tags

• Gija