Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Wayne and Vicki McGeoch. National Museum of Australia
During the holidays, children would leave the mission near Warakurna to stay with their families. They would return to traditional ways of living on the land with family members as their guides.
Aboriginal people were forced to move to missions, reserves and stations. They were removed from the land they were connected to by family, tradition and culture – their country. Young children were sent to schools at these missions to learn about the ways of European settlers.
This painting by Eunice Yunurupa Porter shows a range of activities taking place. As a young girl, Porter travelled with her family during the holidays to take part in these traditions.
Questions
What tasks are being done in this painting?
How important would these holidays be to Aboriginal families? Why?
What are the traditional First Nations symbols in this painting?
Eunice Yunurupa Porter
Born 1948, Yiparrka skin group
Eunice Yunurupa Porter is a respected leader and artist in the Warakurna community. She was born at Wirrkural on the Jameson road out of Warburton mission, and lived with her family in the bush before attending school at the Mission from about the age of 10.
Warakurna was Porter’s late husband’s country. They moved there together in 1974 after a meeting with the newly established Department of Aboriginal Affairs raised the possibility of people moving back to their homelands.
