I ordered this book looking for a new fantasy read that works on an adult level. Back years ago, when a child was born, theyd start off with one or two little possum skins and as the child grew older, pieces would be added. Environmental culture cloaks the group of girls who coordinated the cloak designs hold up the completed possum and rabbit skin cloaks. Possumskin cloak is within the scope of wikiproject australia, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of australia and australiarelated topics. Possumskin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by aboriginal people in the southeast of. The healing experience of a possum skin cloak is immediate, powerful and lasting. In the second panel is an old, elderly indigenous couple wrapped in their possum skin cloaks. Homeon country, portraits of elders wrapped in possum skin cloaks much like the old people of the past. Once an everyday item for aboriginal people in southeastern australia, possum skin cloaks were worn for warmth, used as baby carriers, coverings at. The drawing represents the markings on the underside of an old possum skin cloak.
Possum skin jackets were popular with aborigines who lived in southeast australia presentday victoria and new south wales. Possum skin cloak designer lee darroch with aiatsis curator alana garwoodhoung. For me the possum skin cloak is symbolic of wrapping that love and that culture around you, its symbolic of the warmth and the safety of belonging and of knowing who you are. We wore them insideout with the warm fur on our skin during the cold winter days and nights. The underside of the skin was incised using a shell or stone with symbols that were significant to the clan group and connected the child spiritually to the land and the spirit ancestors. He stands in flat open bushland, holding up a raised spear in his right hand and ovalshaped shield in his. Capturing the aiatsis possum skin cloak australian. The original furriers of australia were on to something when they made a possum skin cloak. Wrapped in culture is a collaborative project initiated by rosalie favell that brought together ten indigenous artists from australia and canada for a threeweek art collaboration to create a buffalo robe and a possum skin cloak.
Completed in 2017, this is the first time the story of aiatsis has been represented in an indigenous cultural form. There are only fifteen skin cloaks located in museums within australia and overseas. Ms donna fernando, project coordinator for the wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by the lake aboriginal cultural revival project, kickstarted the collaboration by contributing a blog post to the. But i know, from stories told by elders and old photos, that possum skin cloaks are part of my heritage as a koorie person. Blackfella road references the desecration of culturally sensitive burial sites resulting from the construction of an unsealed road near swan hill.
Amanda jane reynolds is the author of wrapped in a possum skin cloak 4. The tooloyn koortakay collection in the national museum of australia national museum of australia collection by amanda jane reynolds author. Nov 11, 2011 the wiradjuri tradition of making and owning a possum skin cloak has become the focus of an art exhibition in griffith. Jun 28, 2017 led by aboriginal and torres strait islander breast cancer survivors, a joint initiative between peter maccallum cancer centre and breast cancer network australia bcna has seen a handmade possum. Possum skin cloak provides connection to culture for.
Elders revealed possum skin cloak at intimate community. Collection by reynolds, amanda jane and a great selection of related books. A possum skin cloak australian institute of aboriginal and. Possum skin cloaks were an important part of our ritual and ceremonial life. Kiellas walert walert by annette sax, taungurung artist image supplied by annette sax, taungurung artist. For art of the skins, more than fifty possum skin cloak making workshops were held on the sunshine coast, the gold coast and in brisbane. Worn from a young age, cloaks started out small with a few skins sewn together to wrap a baby. The woman is wrapped in a blanket and the man is wearing a possum skin cloak with the fur on the inside. A film produced by national museum of australia in association with golden seahorse productions details the cloak making method. A possum skin was an aboriginal childs first blanket. We were buried in our cloaks wrapped in our country. Possum skin cloak for aiatsis australian institute of. Once the cloak is wrapped around you its like being wrapped in the love and strength of everyone that has been part of making it, explained artist maree clarke.
Communities are now using possum skin cloaks in ceremonies, in burials, and in baby naming days. Worn on a daily basis, the jackets were an important part of clan. The possum skin cloak, with its thorough mapping of different aboriginal. Wrapped in country the making of a possum skin cloak.
A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the. They also wrote thankyou letters to fabri blacklock of the powerhouse museum who sent us the wonderful resources on aboriginal design symbols from nsw possum skin cloaks. Possum skin cloaks map country, tell and hold stories. The timeless and living art of possum skin cloaks museums victoria. Using a zoom feature and focusing on the mans cloak reveals a design that is perfectly regular in its chequered pattern. The possum skin cloak being warmed by culture children. Eleven local students along with carolyn white from the tafes marrambul. Apr 12, 2016 the cloak was collected in 18391840, is made of both possum and kangaroo skin and measures 146 by 125cm. Comprising tools, artworks, ornaments and two magnificently worked possum skin cloaks, this collection is testament to their commitment and the resilience of their culture. What designers can learn from aboriginal possum skin cloaks. Two possum skin cloaks are in museum victoria s collection. Feb 02, 2014 reintroducing the traditional art of possum skin cloak making by stephen hagan 3 february 2014. The book outlines the toolyn koortakay collection national museum of australia comprising of artwork, possum skin dance ornaments, tools, and two cloaks. This is aiatsis possum skin cloak making the resin by aiatsis on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
Lyn riley, an aboriginal lecturer at sydney university also brought along her own kangaroo skin cloaks. The green book of language revitalization in practice. They created contemporary versions of an australian aboriginal possum skin cloak and a blackfoot buffalo robe. Skirts, belts and laplaps in addition to cloaks, both animal skins and woven plant fibres were utilised in the creation of belts and simple coverings for the groin.
Favell, who is based in ottawa, made connections with indigenous artists in australia and photographed some for her ongoing portrait project of indigenous artists in. Last week, northern health hosted the first possum skin workshop, open to both staff and the community. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake exhibition is launched. However the cloaks are encountered their effect reaches to the persons spirit, giving strength and healing. Lee darroch biography at at design and art australia online. Wombeech puyuun, known as camperdown george, pre1870, wrapped in a possum skin cloak. Low this article has been rated as lowimportance on the projects importance scale. Trove catalogue record in a museum, is where debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm found the inspiration to revive their communities craft of cloakmaking. Trove catalogue record in a museum, is where debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm found the inspiration to revive their communities craft of cloak making. Council is proud to display this cloak in the st kilda town hall as a highly visible representation of councils commitment to supporting issues of importance for the yalukut weelam clan of the boonwurrung. A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the story of some southeastern aboriginal people, two gunditjmara women and two yorta yorta women, who set out in 1999 to relearn the lost craft of possumskin cloak making. Aboriginal people will be able to be physically wrapped in culture when they use the cloak during their time in treatment.
Mar 29, 2015 what designers can learn from aboriginal possum skin cloaks. This cloak is currently on display in the south australian museums australian aboriginal cultures gallery. Item mm 31471 negative aboriginal man wearing possum skin cloak, swan hill, circa 1915 description of content. A man and a woman seated at the entrance of a shelter made of bark with a windbreak added to one side. For further information see a j reynolds et al 2005 wrapped in a possum skin cloak nma press, canberra. Darroch wrote in the book that documents this project, wrapped in a possum skin cloak amanda reynolds in collaboration with lee darroch, treahna hamm, debra couzens and vicki couzens, 2005 of the experience felt by all when they first viewed the cloaks.
Possum skin cloak is within the scope of wikiproject australia, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of australia and australiarelated topics. The possum skin cloak will be available for use by aboriginal and torres strait islander people and their families going through cancer treatment at peter maccallum cancer centre. The possum skin cloak project creators at the unveiling of the cloak at peter maccallum cancer centre. To make a cloak was a very labour intensive and time consuming process. I convinced a reluctant alana to be the model and we got some photos with lees garden as a fitting backdrop. On a cold and wet winter morning in canberra, staff from the australian institute of aboriginal and torres strait islander studies aiatsis sat down with yorta yorta, mutti mutti and boon wurrung woman lee darroch to design the first ever aiatsis possum skin cloak. They were rubbed with ochre and fat to both decorate and protect them. Possum skin cloak will provide healing to aboriginal and. In some communities cloaks are used directly for healing. Aboriginal guests represented sydney citys indigenous. However, cloak making experienced a resurgence more broadly after two indigenous artists, vicki couzens kirrae wurronggunditjmara and lee darroch yorta yorta, saw two deteriorating cloaks in the melbourne museum. Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak victorian collections. Good twists keep it fresh and make you want to keep reading.
Possum skin cloak story reconnecting communities and culture. The revival of possum skin cloak making once again gives our children the opportunity to be wrapped in culture. Possum skin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by aborigines in the southeast of australia presentday victoria and new south wales the cloaks were made from numerous possum pelts sewn together with kangaroo sinew, and often decorated with significant incisions on the inside such as clan insignias. In a museum, is where debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm found the inspiration to revive their communities craft of cloak making. Watch this video detailing the creation of her ceremonial possum cloak. Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak by amanda jane reynolds.
New study on brca risks latest news breast cancer network. The drawing reinterprets markings etched into the underside of an old possum skin cloak. The primary artist and workshop facilitator, maree clarke is a multidisciplinary artist. Historic cloaks are bridges into the past but while the historic lake condah cloak is a source of pride for gunditjmara people today, it is also something of an enigma, aunty maude says. The last thing to do was get some shots of the aiatsis possum skin cloak being worn. Completed in the fall of 2017 the resulting robe and cloak were displayed as part of an exhibition. An original possum skin cloak from the hunter region, 1839 1840, smithsonian national museum of natural history, there are only five traditional possum skin cloaks surviving in the world today and most skin cloaks that people get to see are in museums and locked away from our people. For me, wearing a possum skin cloak is as foreign an idea as it is to nonindigenous australians.
Soft covered book with the image of sewn possum skin pelts on the cover. This possum skin cloak, commissioned by the city of port phillip, is a significant addition to the port phillip city collection. Designed and created by lee darroch a yorta yorta, mutti mutti and boon wurrung artist, the aiatsis possum skin cloak tells the story of aiatsis as a national cultural institution. A possum skin cloak australian institute of aboriginal and torres. Amanda jane reynolds author of wrapped in a possum skin cloak.
Highlighting the strength and diversity of contemporary tasmanian aboriginal voices through stories, memories, essays, and art, this volume of poems and songs celebrates cultural traditions such as muttonbirding, fishing, carving, weaving, and necklacemaking. In a cloak making workshop, different generations interact and this supports the transference of knowledge, of listening to stories, being given knowledge and responsibilities and the strengthening of family and kinship networks. Possums would be hunted, the skin carefully removed, scraped with a shell, and then stretched by pegging them out on the ground. There are also cloaks at the national museum of australia in canberra, as well as four in overseas collections. Cloaks are taken and wrapped around a person who may be experiencing emotional issues. Possum skin cloak, animal skins traditional aboriginal clothing.
Made by vicki couzens and debra couzens, kirrae wurrong. Negative aboriginal man wearing possum skin cloak, swan. Over time more skins were added so that as a person grew, their cloaks grew with them. Lee darroch biography at at design and art australia. A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the story of some southeastern aboriginal people, two gunditjmara women and two yorta yorta women, who set out in 1999 to relearn the lost craft of possum skin cloak making. Jun 29, 2017 the possum skin cloak will be available for use by aboriginal and torres strait islander people and their families going through cancer treatment at peter maccallum cancer centre. A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the story of some southeastern aboriginal people, two gunditjmara women and two yorta yorta women, who set out in 1999 to relearn the lost craft of possumskin cloakmaking. She specifically requested to be photographed in this wallaby skin cloak and this was typical of the clothing she remembered wearing as a child. Lee and her husband kindly put on a bbq dinner for us as a farewell. This cloak is extremely significant, as it is an extremely rare historical example of an element of the clothing of indigenous people in south eastern australia that has continued importance today. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake exhibition is. Over time more skins were added so that as a person grew, their.
The koorie heritage trust in melbourne has in its archives several possum skin cloaks made and decorated by artists in the 1980 s and 1990 s. One, which dates from 1853, is made from 83 possum skins. Working over the course of three weeks in november 2017, the artists created contemporary versions of an australian aboriginal possum skin cloak and a. Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak by amanda jane. Aiatsis possum skin cloak making the resin on vimeo. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by amanda jane reynolds, 9781876944360, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. For me the possum skin cloak is symbolic of wrapping that love and that culture around you, its symbolic of the warmth and the safety of belonging and of. Start this article has been rated as startclass on the projects quality scale. Wrapped in a freshly crafted possum skin cloak, the tiny remnants of the jaara infant, originally from charlton in northwest victoria, continue to resonate with the tensions of the times as they. In a museum, is where debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm found the inspiration to revive their communities craft of cloakmaking. Making an aboriginal possum skin cloak abc newcastle nsw. This road is boycotted by connellynorthey and her family and continues to haunt the artist, as does her memory of visiting and witnessing such decimated places with her father.
This cloak is in the city of stonnington collection and was made during a workshop in november 2014 as part of the citys indigenous reconciliation program. The tooloyn koortakay collection in the national museum of australia national museum of australia collection 9781876944360. Possumskin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by aborigines in the southeast of australia presentday victoria and new south wales the cloaks were made from numerous possum pelts sewn together with kangaroo sinew, and often decorated with significant incisions on the inside such as clan insignias. Possum skin cloaks are about mapping the individuals who wear them.
Nov 15, 2011 this story is a great dive into a fantastic world right beneath the surface of what normal people experience. Wrapped in culture is a collaborative project that brings together ten indigenous artists from australia and canada. There are many reasons why the majority of skin cloaks did not survive to the present day. On friday 18th march aboriginal community members, artists, teachers and students, and museum partners came together to celebrate the launch of the exhibition wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake. A possum skin cloak handmade by aboriginal cancer survivors was unveiled at the peter maccallum cancer centre yesterday as a symbol of healing and support for aboriginal and torres strait islander people undergoing cancer treatment. The seed of a possum skin cloak by the lake was planted when victorianbased aboriginal artists lee darroch and vicki couzens with curator amanda reynolds approached the. If you would like to participate, visit the project page.
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