The National Museum of Australia is showing Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route, open through 26 January 2011.
This groundbreaking exhibition reveals the richness of desert life today. It tells the story of the Canning Stock Route’s impact on Aboriginal people, and the importance of the Country that surrounds it, through the works of senior and emerging artists and the stories of traditional custodians.
It is a story of contact, conflict and survival, of exodus and return, seen through Aboriginal eyes, and interpreted through their voices, art and new media.
We wanna tell you fellas ’bout things been happening in the past that hasn’t been recorded, what old people had in their head. No pencil and paper. The white man history has been told and it’s today in the book. But our history is not there properly. We’ve got to tell ‘em through our paintings. – Clifford Brooks, Wiluna, 2007
Image: Mayapu Elsie Thomas paints Kurrkumalu. Photo: Tim Acker.
The National Museum of Australia explores the land, nation and people of Australia. The Museum celebrates Australian social history in a unique way by revealing the stories of ordinary and extraordinary Australians, promoting the exploration of knowledge and ideas and providing a dynamic forum for discussion and reflection.
National Museum of Australia Lawson Crescent Acton Peninsula Canberra Freecall 1800 026 132 Email [email protected]
www.nma.gov.au
