"Rafts were an important part of transport… We used watercraft to travel across our Country and seas… to fish, hunt, attend ceremonies, and it’s important that being Larrakia is to pass that knowledge on.”
— Uncle Roque Lee
Larrakia artist
mirragma gunugurr-wa (bamboo raft)
GARUWA’s first public art commission, mirragma gunugurra-wa (bamboo raft in Larrakia language) brings together two old stories deeply connected to this site in Darwin.
Created collaboratively with Larrakia artists Uncle Roque Lee and Trent Lee, the artwork reflects the journeys of Larrakia people travelling across the bay for ceremony and ancient tales of mermaids inhabiting the waters of the harbour.
Uncle Roque made a bamboo raft for the project — the first made in many, many years — an act of cultural revitalisation and knowledge sharing that continues the richness of the Larrakia people's history and deep connection to place.
Credits
Artists: Uncle Roque Lee and Trent Lee
Creative Director: Genevieve Grieves
Project Manager: Carolyn Karnovsky, Artify Consulting
Producers: Andrea Distefano, Jodie Passmore and Libby Collins
Designer: Pete Wilson, P'Co Design
Fabricator and Installer: Martin Moore, Person Place Thing
Assistant Producer: Maya Ghattas
Language Consultation: Lisa Pellegrino
Photographer: Charlie Bliss
Commissioned by City of Darwin in partnership with the Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation
Special thanks to Uncle Roque Lee, Trent Lee, Dave Kurnoth, Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation, Pete Wilson, Martin Moore, Carolyn Carnovsky, Jodie Passmore, Anneke Barnes, Angela O’Donnell, Carlo Ansaldo, Jess Ong, Pete Wilson, Aunty Bilawara Lee, Joanne Hilliard, Paula Strong, Lisa Spann, Matt Grassmayr, Nik Kleine, Roman Maher, Christopher Bailey, Janine Honner, Nik Kleine, Matthew Wheeler, City of Darwin and the GARUWA team.
Created on the Traditional Country of the Larrakia People of the Larrakia Nation, Darwin, Northern Territory.