2021 - 2023                                                                               

                                                                                                   Goŋ Djambutj - Clever Hands

    Eunice as a girl digging for ganguri. Goŋ Djambutj.                                                                                                                      Digging for ganguri. Goŋ Djambutj. 

​Goŋ Djambutj means 'clever hands' in Yolngu Matha, the language of the Yolgnu peoples of Northern Australia. The Yolngu have lived in their country for around 80,000 years. They remember who they are. They will tell you with clear eyes how they descend from two sisters who came from the Pleides star system and travelled over that part of the world, creating its features. The Yolngu name for their region is Laynhapuy, although the Englishers still insist on calling it Arnhem Land, after some Dutch explorer.

I lived in Yirrkala for four and a half years. The scroll I made during that time holds precious memories - images about encounters with Yolgnu culture, portraits of friends I made, relationships that developed with people of the Laynhapuy homelands, animals, and environments, and reflections on what I was able to learn about the extreme beauty and complexity of Yolgnu culture and its people.