Dyarubbin - new exhibition ON DISPLAY UNTIL 5 FEBRUARY 2023
The title comes from the Dharug word signifying a long , winding , and ancient waterway , identified today as the Hawkesbury River , renamed by Governor Phillip in honour of Englishman Charles Jenkinson , the Baron Hawkesbury in 1789 .
Dyarubbin has been home to the Dharug people for millennia and to this day is a vital and sustaining resource for all who live by it . In the early colony Dyarubbin ’ s fertile flood plains became valuable agricultural land , essential for the survival of both colonists and aboriginal people .
1794 marked the beginning of a period of devastation and loss for Dharug people as settlers took land along the river , culminating in frontier wars with Dharug people fighting to defend their lands and livelihoods . The landscape of the river , the people who live there and the way it is used have changed ,
Deerubbin 1998 . but Dharug people still live on Dyarubbin . In this exhibition , Dharug knowledgeholders , artists and educators Leanne Watson , Jasmine Seymour , Erin Wilkins and Rhiannon Wright share Dharug culture using oral stories , art and language .
Entering the exhibition , you can follow the barra / eel path , symbolic of journeying along the river , stop to listen to seven site-specific oral stories and view artwork embodying the themes and stories in the exhibition .
The natural world of Dyarubbin which Dharug people refer to as ngurra / country , the land , water , animals , plants , and natural phenomena ; to things that cannot be seen or touched , stories of Gurangatty , the great eel ancestral spirit which created the river , its tremendous cliffs , chasms , and deep river holes in the Dreaming are shared with visitors .
Dharug culture and spirituality are intrinsically connected to the river , its bends , and features - encoded with meaning , moral codes , and ways to live on country . The concept of conveying messages through art is universal but for First Nations people , using art to communicate is fundamental to cultural preservation , allowing customs and beliefs to continue over time .
The exhibition includes artworks by Aunty Edna Watson and aboriginal artists including Blak Douglas , an installation by Jason Wing , animation by Maddison Gibbs and sculptural work by Leanne Tobin .
It also features research by Professor Grace Karskens in The Real Secret River , Dyarubbin , a collaborative project with Leanne , Jasmine , Erin and Rhiannon which won the 2018 – 19 Coral Thomas Fellowship . Many Aboriginal languages have been impacted by white settlement . When colonists began ‘ overwriting ’ the Indigenous names of the country , connection to country and cultural universes were damaged .
The Dyarubbin exhibition recognizes the significance of recent scholarship with Dharug language in naming the features and landmarks along the river from Yarramundi to Sackville at the SLNSW .
In the exhibition you can expand your knowledge and understanding of our locality via Dharug perspectives . Visitors are encouraged to leave behind their certainties and open themselves to learning something new about Dyarubbin .
Accompanying the exhibition is a range of programs including free drop children ’ s activities in the Gallery Maker Space , January School holiday events , talks and the official opening on Saturday 29 October from 12 - 3 pm . For more information on visiting the gallery and these workshops visit our website www . hawkesbury . nsw . gov . au / gallery .
Copy of Aunty Edna painting .
Dyarubbin is part of Discover WATER . Exhibitions , programs and events connecting Blue Mountains , Hawkesbury and Penrith until 5 March 2023 .
For more information see WATERTRAIL . AU .
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery acknowledges the State Library of NSW Dyarubbin exhibition team including curator : Marika Duczynski ( Gamilaraay ), creative producer : Avryl Whitnall , photographer : Joy Lai , videographer : Bill Code , Wedge-Tail Pictures and the generous support , research and collaboration of Professor Grace Karskens .
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 150 // NOVEMBER 2022 31