Port Lincoln Foreshore Redevelopment - CONSULTATION CLOSED

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  • Galinyala Barngarla Sisters Art Panels

    An impressive series of art panels have been installed under the fig trees as part of the renewal of the western end of the Parnkalla Trail which is one component of the Port Lincoln Foreshore Project.

    The art panels were designed by Galinyala Barngarla artists Jenna and Vera Richards, who were selected through a public Expression of Interest process. The art work were laser cut and fabricated by local company Plazma Cuts.

    This element of the Foreshore Project supports the creation of connections to ​first nation’s people ​and place through the incorporation of First Nations storytelling and cultural interpretation which is one of the project’s key objectives.

    At the launch Jenna explained the story behind the design.

    "Our design links into the actual site of the fig trees up above us on the deck. They form part of the 7 sisters dreaming. Trees and water are life. For us, the trees are our fellow sisters and brothers, in the case of the fig trees, they are the 3 sisters of the Pleiades. In our design, we showcase the lady of the tree, and this is talking about the spirits that are within all living things including our trees and plant life, creatures of the sea, land and sky.

    We have symbols throughout the design representing our people and family gathering together. This shows that we are one and the same with our environmental surroundings. We also have the Karkalla plant, our native pig face which is a food source for our people and this is scattered all across our Barngarla yardanha country especially along the wambiri coastline.

    We’ve included the gooya, the fish throughout our design. This is another food source. But also applies to Goorilyali which is our name for Boston Bay which translates to the Bay of dancing fish. It’s also ironic that Port Lincoln is well known for our aquaculture seafood industry and that we have fish farms within our Bay and our traditional Barngarla name correlates to bay of dancing fish.

    But back in the day, we also have been told that there were songs and dance that our old people used to do to sing in the sharks and dolphins and whales to push the fish into our shallow waters where they would be caught in our traditional fish traps made of stones and sticks. We still have fish traps that are around our coastline which are more noticeable during the low tides. These are unfortunately becoming less and less due to not being maintained due to lack of access.

    In the last panel we have Nammana our sacred whale and the 3 sisters riding on his tail. Nammana is one of our Dreamtime stories and he was responsible for creating our wambiri coastline.

    He also brought our people on his back to Galinyala Port Lincoln and we still look to him for guidance in our times of need. He was also our late father’s totem and this gives him even more special meaning and significance for me and my sister and our family as a whole.

    Ngami Yarda Mother Nature and her creatures look after us and provide for us so we must in turn look out for them as well.

    Port Lincoln and surrounding areas are also well known to be a whale sanctuary. Whalers Way used to be the nursery and it has taken many years for the whales to return and feel safe again in our waters after what happened many moons ago with the whaling industry being based around here.

    We also have Thindoo the sun, the bringer of light and life and without him, we wouldn’t have life on earth. Majority of the world and nature needs the sun to survive so Thindoo is also very important to us.

    The border across the tops and bottoms of each panel represents the crosses on our shield that represents our people and our whole Barngarla tribe. Barngarla stands for fire people, people of the light and our ancient boundary extends from Galinyala (Port Lincoln) to Goordnada (Port Augusta) and surrounding areas.

    We enjoyed working on this project with you and we look forward to future endeavours.

    Yoowa walira

    Bawoo"

    Photo Left to Right: Art Panel Artists Jenna Richards and Vera Richards