ABOUT THE WORK

The project, conceived and developed by Kimba Thompson of Sista Girl Productions, uses the idea of 'scar trees' associated with traditional Aboriginal community life, as a point of departure.

Scars in large River Gums are poignant reminders of the thousands of years that this land was occupied by Indigenous people. The 30 poles represent the Victorian land scape. The installation is intended as a symbolic representation of the scars of all Indigenous people and the ongoing process of healing. The installation shows the diversity of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultural practices.

Artists including Karen Casey, Ray Thomas, Maree Clarke, Glenn Romanis, Craig Charles, Ricardo Idagi and Treahna Hamm have each created four painted, carved and decorated wooden poles for the installation. Other artists including Lou Bennett and Peter Mumme have created multi-track audio collages portraying the 'story' of the creation of each pole, in word, sound and song. The sound-scapes are designed to bring the poles to life and are triggered by the physical presence of visitors to the square.

Within the works the artists have explored and celebrated themes reflecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, contemporary Indigenous issues and the reconciliation process.

ARTISTS

Kimba Thompson

From the beginning, the intention of this project has been to create a way of raising awareness and appreciation of the diversity of Indigneous art practices.

Aboriginal people made scars in living riving gums for the purposes of cutting shields and canoes. The scar trees dotted throughout the Victorian landscape are poignant reminders of the thousands of years that his land has been occupied. The installation poetically symbolises the landscape, the scars of all Indigenous people and the ongoing process of healing.

'Scar - A Stolen Vision' presents the work of a new generation of Indigenous artists. Their diverse practices draw from the rich heritage of their culture yet these artists have found their own voices.

Craig Charles

The titles of my works are 'Yorta Yorta River', 'River Wemba Wemba', 'Mutti Mutti River', and 'River Latje Latje'. The titles pay respect to the various tribes along the Murray River. Each artwork is concerned with the overall theme of the degradation of the river system of 'Mother Earth.' The degradation is caused by many things including the impact of society, mining, salinity, generalised land degradation, pollution and the impact of introduced species.

Culturally & spiritually, the histories of these titles are of great importance to me and many other Indigenous people. The clans associated with these rivers reflect my origins, from the Firebrace families of the 'Yorta Yorta', to my cousins backgrounds and right up to the Latje- Latje, the area of my birthplace, Mildura.

Indigenous and non-indigenous stories and activities associated with the rivers are also represented in my works. 'Scar - A Stolen Vision', has left its 'mark' with me. I hope the art and more importantly the meanings of the works will leave their 'mark' with you.

Glenn Romanis

Born in Geelong. I am a practising installation artist preferring to work in wood and stone, but I also work with paint, mosaic tiles and just about anything else I can get my hands on.

The reason I chose the theme of tools for the 'SCAR - A Stolen Vision' installation, was that I wanted to show how different tools were used for specific purposes as well as the craftsmanship inherent in these tools.

Tools can be seen to symbolise the many aspects of an Aboriginal man's life. Hunting and fishing, ceremony and ritual, teaching and learning, war and trade, all required specific tools and very often these tools included spears. The design of a spear communicates much of the maker's 'country', who they are and the activity the spear was utilised in.

The great skill, knowledge and craftsmanship required to make these traditional tools is gradually being eroded. In undertaking this project it is my hope that future generations may develop an interest in crafting similar tools.

These four free-standing sculptures have been inspired by traditional South Eastern Victorian spear heads. However, due to the massive difference in scale, different technologies have been used to craft them.

• Mongiles (Spearheads)

The mongile is made from hard wood. A groove was cut on both sides of the spear head where small chips of basalt or other suitable stone were fixed in place with gum or resin from the acacia. This spear was specifically used in battle and once a wound was inflicted the only way of extracting the spear was to cut open the wound and draw the spear through.

Another form of the mongile was the double barbed spear. It was crafted solely from wood and it took a highly skilled craftsman to prepare and shape the spearhead. The spearhead was difficult to keep sharp and in good condition, however, it could be both hand thrown or thrown with the KUR-RUK (woomera) when used for hunting large game. The woods used for making the mongile had to be hard and durable. Eucalyptus trees were used (but messmate was preferred). These spears varied in length and were most often between 8-11 feet long.

• Koanie (Barbed Spear)

  This koanie spear was made specifically for fishing. The barb was generally made from bone and was fixed to the shaft of the spear with kangaroo sinew and resin. The spear was found through most parts of what is now called Victoria and varied in length

• Gowdalie (Fishing Spear)

  The last spear is called the Gowdalie. Again it was common through most parts of Victoria. The Gowdalie was a fishing spear between 10-15 feet in length and crafted in a very hard wood. It was generally used in the spawning season when the fish were on flooded planes. Rather than being used to spear the fish, it was used to press the fish against the ground, at which point another spear was used to secure the fish.

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Karen Casey

"hear - earth - heal - heart"

I believe trees hold a resonance or memory of their existence and by engaging with them we unconsciously access that memory or experience. The logs have a history as trees then pier poles and I wanted them to reveal their own stories.

Feeling that any creative intervention on my part should be minimal, I set about the process of drawing out and exposing what was already inherent in the wood.

Scars on the surface of the logs sometimes proved insignificant once pared back, whereas seemingly superficial blemishes at times belied the presence of deep gaping wounds. Likewise, in healing the past it is often necessary to scratch beneath the surface to expose old traumas and emotional wounds, so conceptually these 'scarred' trees become a metaphor for human life experience.

As creatures born of the earth we hold the essence and memory of the land within our being. Perhaps then, in order to fully understand and appreciate life's experience and our connection to the world, we should be willing to listen to the land and hear its story. In doing so, we may succeed in reconciling the past and healing the present.

"Hear the earth - heal the heart"

Maree Clarke - kaatutya

We have a unique opportunity to make assessments on many levels as artists, as members of a community/s and as individuals. We review our environment both the physical and the emotional in retrospect and into the future translating the positive and the negative in the context of the journey.

With one change brings a thousand changes and with those thousand changes one hundred thousand more, and so one story becomes a library of narrative.

The removal of one tree will forever change that landscape, the removal of a people will forever change the story- the only thing that is certain to remain are the scarsÉ. Shaping lives and forever reminding those who choose to see, of another history.

And as we search for a key, the legend of this map, we are reminded of the words our brother used to say "Listen to the Ground".

For Pete 17.1.68 - 1.7.99

Words by Jill Antonie

• Design

  This design is an example that reflects the continuum image of aboriginal culture

• Aboriginal Welfare

  The initial conference of Commonwealth and the State Authorities, Canberra April 1937.

  It is an example of the past development of policies to deny Aboriginal peoples of our rightful place in Australia as traditional owners and Custodians of this continent.

  Report States: "We are all agreed that the most urgent problem is the absorption of the quadroons and octoroons into the white community".

• Stolen generations

  Finding their way home, still suffering the effects of government polices of forced removal of children from their families.

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Treahna Hamm - yorta yorta

The poles tell the story of the Yorta Yorta country, not only in showing the physical changes to the Murray River and its environment, but also the changes to the spirit of place and its people.

This demonstrates the unbroken unity of the people to our traditional homelands. The poles also confirm that our culture and heritage have not been "washed away by the tide of history". Just as these poles, which were originally pier supports in Port Phillip Bay, were not washed away by the ebb and flow of the sea, so too have the Yorta Yorta people remained, despite the wash of denial.

The first pole relates to the consequence of history portrayed symbolically by wildlife, which can also be read in a human sense. An irony exists where devastation is laid upon cultural and metaphorical symbols, such as the bullet holes entwined within a serpent texture - an indication that no matter how much mainstream law is changed to suit the times, our culture and ties to our land will always be in existence for many generations to come.

The second and third poles possess dual meanings that echo repercussions of an unfamiliar world relating to the landscape and people, scarring through control 7 abuse which ultimately ends up disadvantageous to all cultures who depend on our land for survival.

The fourth pole is indicative of the suffering portrayed by the pole's midriff symbolising pain. Through political acts, many generations of our people have endured much pain (internally and externally) which continues today, especially by our Elders who seek justice for our traditional country and families. Australia's maturity ultimately depends on listening and learning as a spiritual base to knowledge and understanding of the land.

The Murray River I grew up with, was already hurting from salinity and other damage caused by a massive interference to the waters and the lands. Our Elders speak of a time when the Murray was so clear, you could see deep into its life-giving waters. Now though, the swirling browness, denuded banks and dreaded carp are its most common features. I hope by my poles telling the history of the River and its people, all Australians will recognize the need to heal our country, both physically and spiritually.

Ray Thomas - gunnai

The first pole relates to the legend of Borun the pelican, the first Gunnai in Gippsland. This story is about how he travelled down from the mountains in the northwest carrying a gree (canoe) on his head. The large scar is left once you cut the bark from the tree. As he was travelling, he heard a constant tapping sound and was unable to make out where the sound was coming from. Eventually when he reached the coast and put it down he found Took, the musk duck, inside. It was she who was tapping the inside of the gree. She became Borun's wife and mother to the Gunai of Gippsland. On this pole also can be seen a Turn-dun (bullroarer). The turrn-dun was used traditionally here in Gippsland during the initiation of the young boys.

The second pole shows some traditional symmetrical line pattering of the Gunnai shields (on display in the Krowathunkooloong keeping place in Gippsland). These are also shown on the third pole with the large shields on either side. The tops of these two poles are symbolic of boxes, square buildings, institutions, museums etc. The chains attached to these symbols represent the period when cultural material began to be collected by various institutions and missionaries and early farmers.

The final pole is the "Stolen Vision". Not a great deal of traditional knowledge has survived the impact of the "invasion" on our lands. Being denied this knowledge is a form of cultural genocide according to the criteria of the United Nations. This is a common sight in Australia, and no doubt around the world. Warning signs, "not to enter", or the possibility of facing prosecution from the landowner. This land was taken forcibly by the British who used the good book and the gun as instruments of the civilizing the "heathen savages". Hence the presence of the bible and the gun hanging from the top of the pole leaving a scarred vision.

Ricardo Idagi

"Dogira O Ged Sikerem"

THEME: Cultural Identity

Many of us grow up experiencing verbal abuse and racism, unfortunately, I began to believe in it. I believed that I was worthless and an outcast. I am an indigenous person trying to fit in and be accepted in white society and because of this I felt like a piece of flotsam on the ocean, floating without direction. I went back home, to Mer (an island in the Torres Srait) to escape the racism. Back home, I rediscovered my id or identity

MYTH:

When Malo came to Mer Island he first appeared to Kabur the wife of Dog in the shape of an octopus, he attached himself on to her grass skirt. When Kabur put him in her basket she uttered these words Dogira o Ged sikerem, which means 'This will give courage to Dog, this will protect our place'. Dog was a warrior from the Magaram clan of which I belong to, our clan totems are the snake and whale. The Zogo of Malo first belonged to the Magaram, after a time two men from the Piadram who were shark clan came to see Dog and Kabur, they stole the zogo and took it to their village called Las. Dog was very angry when he found out his sacred object was missing. He put on his war-paint and feathers and armed with his bow and arrows, he went to the village Las. The people saw him coming, so they spread their mats, the Elders lit up the zub, which is a peace pipe. They convinced Dog that the Zogo should stay at the village of Las and it should belong to everyone on Mer.

So Malo lived at the village of Las and was the lawmaker of Mer and the eight clans each had a role to play at his ceremonies

MORAL TO THE SCULPTURE:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people not only have a history but they are still carrying open wounds and scars, which are the testimonies of physical and mental abuse.

The London Missionary Society, the Westminster system of law and political structure, and the Church of England have brainwashed my people physically and mentally. They are ashamed of their identity and see their culture as evil, uncivilised, and pagan in spirit.

Today, some people have forgotten their law, the same law that convinced the High Court judges in the Mabo case that Mer had a structure of law and a self- governing society of it's own.

"Weather Charms"
THEME:

Weather Charms, Called Doiom, They represent Earth, Wind, Rain And Fire

"Nageg And Gaigi"

THEME: Mer sea rights is an issue I am passionate about, I believe our old stories can teach and help us in the struggle for our sea rights. If only we can emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. Nageg and Gaigi are the names of two fish, the spotted leatherjacket and the king travally. The mother Nageg's last words of warning to Gaigi were, 'if people spear you or catch you with a line, you will break them'.

The kamut string song is: "Gaigi ah, usar ah, pakor ah" which means; King travally, red emperor, coral trout. These are some of the fish the trawlers take from our reefs on Mer.

MYTH:

Nageg and Gaigi is a story about a boy and his mother who lived at a place called Ne. One day, Old Man Iriamuris enticed Gaigi into his weris, a fish trap, then he cooked him in a kapmari, an earth oven. Nageg went searching for him, she asked Zirar and Monan but they said 'No we have not seen him'. She went on until she came upon Iriamuris sleeping in the shade, he was so greedy he had even eaten the hot rocks and leaves, the remains of the kapmari. Nageg took her kusbager and speared him spilling his guts open. She took Gaigi's bones and put them together and he came to life. She then said to Gaigi 'You will go and swim on the open water. If anyone spears you, you will break their spear and if anyone hooks you, you will break their line'. Gaigi said to his mother 'You will go and live in rock crevasses, if anyone tries to pull you out, you will hold fast with your strong spinal bones'.

INSPIRATION:

The old stories have a message for the new generation. The Old Man Iriaumuris is like the white man system. It will eat you up and take your land and eat what is on it and under it. His weris is the stereotype given to islanders as generous people always smiling and laughing. His spear and fishing line are the coral trout trawlers and bech de mer boats that come to Mer Island. His greed is the economic satisfaction for the people who own them. They introduce their own beliefs and interpretation of us. Today white people declare openly that Torres Strait people are friendly good natured natives who will welcome any stranger to their shores with flowers in their hands. The fishing trawlers and bech de mer (aber) stations are still owned by white men, they come and do a favour to the local island man to prove their honesty, they take advantage of the stereotype, they entice him into believing he is receiving something for nothing by building the aber shed on his land. Now he is trapped because he believes his own stereotype label and must reciprocate what the white man has done for him.

"Gazune Spirits Of The Forest"

THEME:

After a night of dancing it is the custom of young men to tie their su on to a coconut tree as a remembrance of a good night of dancing and celebrations, the affect is what you see on this sculpture.

INSPIRATION:

This pole was once a living tree, it was used as a pylon of a pier for many years. When I saw the bark still on, as fresh as the day it was felled, it inspired me to think of what this pole has held inside for so long without shedding its bark. What was it protecting. 'Maybe a spirit child'.

Aunty Sisi heard a child crying one night. Her sleep was disturbed by the child's constant crying and her mother gently soothing him to sleep and calling his name 'Gazune' in a haunting lullaby. The next day she asked the young girls if anyone had a new baby, they said no. She realised that what she heard was a sumes lamar which literally means spirits of the forest. She taught people the song and the Komet clan made actions used in the dance.

Lou Bennett - yorta yorta

Sound scaping is a new and exciting form of composing that has opened up doors to different means of writing and making sound/music. Involving sound in such an abstract way has given me the opportunity to see visual and audio arts working together. I will continue to explore this powerful and interesting medium in the future.

Peter Mumme

I have attempted to implement a sound environment that assists in bringing the poles to life by using the sounds of their actual making alongside, their histories, communities and cultures.

The multi-track audio collage is designed to complement the installation and allow the 'individual artists voices' to tell the stories of the making of the artworks. Ultimately it is a celebration of the many colours, sounds, peoples, languages, songs and stories of Indigenous Victoria.