alexchadwick-abts2030-uq-y2023

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My Connections to Country: A Critical Self-Reflection

Each afternoon I walk with my dog throughout the surrounding lands of my home, timing this languid journey to align with the sleepy sun that sets heavily somewhere on the western horizon. This is my favourite part of the day because I am surrounded by natural spaces: time-worn fig trees sigh under their own weight, creeks trickle in resistance to drought, and gums fray in long strips of rough bark. Here, I can breathe a little better. I am not weighed down by the polluted air that strains my lungs, nor by the overwhelming mass of information I am constantly force-fed on social media. Instead, I am invited to attune myself to the surroundings: the eerie call from a Queensland Bush Stone-curlew, or the gentle breeze that sends tall gums rustling. These sounds layer upon one another, becoming a familiar sort of percussive music. This routine has become an integral part of my life – a sort of meditation that helps maintain my mental health. I feel a significant connection to this land as a place of evolving beauty – a sanctuary for life. I know these narrow silken streams, their volatile tendencies to rise and fall; I know the crow’s echoed craw, the green frogs' burp; I know the ageing, strangled growth of the water-bogged eucalyptus tree. I feel that this is my home, yet I know I do not belong here. I do not have precise language to explain the natural phenomena, nor can I call upon my ancestors to remember the land’s stories. “I must pay my respects to the Traditional Owners, the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, who have conserved these lands for time immemorial.” This testimony is a familiar practice to me, one which I have carried out most often within places of learning. Yet I have not known the personal significance of this honouring until my participation in this course.

Throughout ABST2030, I have become keenly aware of the integral role of Aboriginal people’s connection to their Country. This prevailing aspect of identity fuels the continued conservation of environments and sustains cultural practices where memory, language and Country are inextricably linked. The unknowable significance of Aboriginal people’s spiritual belonging to their lands has transformed my perspective. I have further embraced the lands upon which I inhabit while strengthening my participation in its maintenance. This knowledge has also informed my opinion surrounding the generative role of Indigenous creative expression, which positively contributes to Australia’s story of reconciliation. As such, this text represents my journey of learning about Aboriginal creative expression. I will closely examine the role of my standpoint in my interpretation of the course content and reflect on my personal experience of the central ideas of my research project – that is, my connections to Country. This unfolding will be presented through the mode of storying – a critical research mode offered within Louise Phillips and Tracey Bunda’s Research through, with and as storying (2018). I hope this writing will help to consolidate my learnings to date, demonstrating a complex pathway that engenders personal reconciliation. As this storying experiment is grounded in my learnings of Indigenous creative expression, I hope that my journey will show its potential to bring us together.

I took this course having previously completed Australia Pacific Indigenous Arts (ARTT2103) with Dr Sally Butler and Introduction to Aboriginal Studies (ABST1000) with Gamilaraay woman Lisa Oliver at The University of Queensland (UQ). This academic background provided me with a foundation of knowledge surrounding Aboriginal histories, cultures, and identities. But I wanted to learn more about the strategies through which Indigenous peoples centred their voices in contemporary contexts. As I am studying Art History, ABST2030 seemed to be the perfect opportunity to learn about Aboriginal cultures through the diversity of creative practice. Here, I thought I would have the opportunity to examine artists’ intentions behind works that I love. I would be able to explore innovative manifestations of Indigenous ontologies. I could gather a deeper understanding of what Aboriginal worldviews are while learning how they continue to be shaped. Ultimately, I think I wanted to understand more about a culture that continues to thrive almost parallel to mine. I did not expect, however, that my learnings would reveal as much as they did. From Sam Cook’s ‘trauma ecologies’ to Evelyn Araluen’s lyrical poetry, ABST2030 transformed my previous assumptions by challenging my worldview. 

Throughout this course, I became aware that my perspective surrounding Indigenous matters was largely formed by three overlapping spheres of identity: intellectual growth, social foundations, and cultural heritage. These aspects of my identity have shaped my approach to learning, strengthening my interest in alternative modes of existence. However, they have also been challenged at times because this course has exposed me to their limitations. I must first acknowledge that my pathway as an academic has been highly productive, both for my personal growth and intellectual development. However, I have found that learning about Indigenous cultures has challenged the nature of my learning by demonstrating the plurality of knowledge. Through exploring the diverse ecologies of Aboriginal cultures, I have become more acutely aware of the boundaries of Western academia. Second, my strong connections to my two best friends have continually broadened my perspective, making me a better and more inclusive person. They have both taught me to celebrate difference and to protect one’s home in solidarity. I have known both women for eight years now and they never fail to challenge me, accepting my moments of ignorance as growing pains in my development. Finally, my white, Anglo-Saxon heritage has become more evident as a signifier of privilege. I acknowledge this aspect of my identity has allowed me freedoms that others cannot access with the same ease. I know that my whiteness is something I will never have to justify or fight for. Yet this distinction has also emphasised the lack of inherent spiritual connection I feel in relation to my cultural heritage. I have never felt a sense of, as Wesley Enoch describes, “responsibility to look at our stories, and beyond ourselves, to pass those stories on to others to create […] change in this country” (SongSummit, 2012, 3:11 - 3:24). I feel a sense of ignorance that extends from a personal absence of storying to that of Aboriginal culture. As such, I have taken away from this course that one of the most valuable practices I may continue to perform is listening. This mode of engagement is diverse, ranging from privileging Indigenous people’s stories to embodied ‘deep listening’ in nature (Browning, Bennett, Couzens & Paton, 2020).  

In “Listening to Country”, Bundjalung and Kullilli presenter Daniel Browning (2020) leads an immersive storying experience with four Aboriginal women around the generative role of ‘deep listening’ to one’s Country. I have found this to be meaningful to the development of my connection to the lands surrounding my home and presents another way through which I can honour Aboriginal people’s contributions. I live in a quiet pocket of north Brisbane, Meanjin, surrounded by neighbourhoods that I know as Kelvin Grove, Newmarket, and Redhill. I work at Kelvin Grove OSHC for which I understand the local Turrbal peoples call Barrambin, or ‘windy place’. Throughout ABST2030, I started to research the stories of these lands to learn about their cultural significance. I have found it difficult to find the correct names as there are multiple meanings for one term and numerous errors at colonial hands. But I have found that the meandering Enoggera Creek, which runs from Enoggera Reservoir to the Brisbane River (generalised to maiwar, or maiwah) (Kane, Kerkhove, & Memmott, 2022, p. 17), was named after the Turrbal word Euoggera, meaning 'place of water' or 'place of breeze' (ABC Local, 2009). The local peoples held corroboree at Bancroft Park on Enoggera Creek, a stretch of water known as buyuba, meaning “straight shin bone” (Kane, Kerkhove, & Memmott, 2022, p. 33). I have found this learning has transformed my perspective because I can relate to the lands through another perspective, one forged through connections and memory. Whereas Aboriginal peoples understand language as inextricably linked with Country, my language fails to describe the lands that I walk through. My language is reminiscent of the violent intervention of settler-colonial Europeans; my presence reflects the continual neocolonial systems of oppression that restrict Indigenous people’s ownership of land. While I have found my learning to be a journey of great wonder and immense awe, I have undoubtedly felt that familiar sense of guilt that pervades my experience in an unreconciled Australian context. 

In “Toolkits Live: Aboriginal Histories and Poetry”, Evelyn Araluen (2017) discusses the generative force that shame can engender. She advocates for the importance of respectful listening and critical engagement with various forms of Indigenous creative expression. I really appreciate her open discussion around the ‘messiness’ of reconciliation in colonial-settler societies because I don’t always know how to navigate the political complexities that surround European-Indigenous relations. I feel her words have allowed me some space to talk more honestly about my (mis)understandings while strengthening my solidarity with Indigenous peoples. I have learnt to demonstrate my solidarity with Indigenous peoples through personal choices: caring for my lands, supporting Aboriginal businesses, and reading Indigenous poetry. I have learnt to honour Indigenous stories by removing the potential biases of my worldview from my understanding. I have learnt to reconcile a plurality of differences through a significant common goal: the sustained care for Aboriginal peoples’ Country. But perhaps most importantly, I have learnt to listen.

 

Resources

ABC Local. (2009, May 7). Local History - Enoggera [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2006/12/08/1807153.htm

Ardill, A. (2013). Australian Sovereignty, Indigenous Standpoint Theory and Feminist Standpoint Theory, Griffith Law Review, 22(2), 315-343, DOI: 10.1080/10383441.2013.10854778  

Browning, D. (Producer), Bennett, L. (Presenter), Couzens, V. (Presenter) & Paton, D. (Presenter). (2020, June 27). Listening to Country [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/awaye/listening-to-country/12397734   

Express Media. (2017, August 1). Toolkits Live: Aboriginal Histories and Poetry with Evelyn Araluen [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc43RK727rE

Graham, M. (Kombu-merri & Waka Waka). (1999). Some Thoughts About the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews. Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, 3(2), 105–18. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853599X00090

Kane, J., Kerkhove, R., & Memmott, P. (2022). Aboriginal Places of Inner Brisbane.  Retrieved from Aboriginal Environments Research Centre, The University of Queensland website: https://architecture.uq.edu.au/files/13189/Aboriginal-Places-of-Inner-Brisbane-2022.pdf

Moreton-Robinson, A. (Quandamooka). (2015). The White Possessive: Property, Power, and Indigenous Sovereignty. [Project MUSE version]. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/book/40111

Phillips, L. G., & Bunda, T. (2018). Research through, with and as storying. London, England: Routledge. 

SongSummit. (2012, August 17). Song Summit 2012: Wesley Enoch "The Value of Cultural Expression" [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STWGhRS06lc

Watson, I. (Tanganekald, Meintangk, & Boandik). (2014). Re-Centring First Nations Knowledge and Places in a Terra Nullius Space. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 10(5), 508–520. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/10.1177/117718011401000506

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Connection to Country: Aboriginal Artists’ Responses to Climate Change 

I chose to examine Aboriginal artists visual responses to climate change because environmental issues in Australia are inherently tied to systemic coloniality as well as more broadly endured socio-cultural impacts. Indigenous peoples “greater exposure to the impacts of climate change” can be explained both through their “deep connection […] to place and culture” and a “heightened vulnerability owing to entrenched disadvantages and injustices” (Blashki, Bradshaw, Gardner, & Gergis, 2023, p. 36). As such, I want to reflect on four artworks to understand the logic of place in Aboriginal artists’ responses to environmental degradation: Nici Cumpston’s Lake Bonney Barmera – place of large water (2022) (Figure 1), Judy Watson’s string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) (2019) (Figure 2), Megan Cope’s Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) (2022) (Figure 3) and Brian Martin’s Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3 (2012) (Figure 4). 

I find enormous value in Louise Gwenneth Phillips’ and Tracy Bunda’s Research through, with and as storying (2018), which I imagine as a cross-cultural handbook that informs my ongoing research. The authors come “two-gather” to provide a complex, critical framework to engage in alternative means of knowledge-building through the act of ‘storying’ (Phillips & Bunda, 2018, p. 1). Phillips and Bunda (2019) describe storying as “the act of making and remaking meaning through stories”, as “living and active rather than fixed, archived products” (p. 7). Here, marginalised voices are accentuated by considering intersectional standpoints and unconventional methodologies. As an Anglo-Saxon woman who lives on the unceded lands of so-called Australia, I approach this topic from a largely academic perspective that draws upon first-hand knowledge from the selected Aboriginal artists. I rely upon First Nations stories because I do not wish to make assumptions about, nor impose my own biases upon, an evolving and variable culture(s). However, I would like to take this opportunity to critically reflect upon my unique reception on these works to highlight my potential (mis)understandings. As I will attempt to express myself through a storying research framework, the following text will present as creative exploration. This will demonstrate the development of my understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.

For me, Cumpston’s Lake Bonney Barmera - place of large water presents as an abstracted, apocalyptic landscape. The long-dead, scrabbly trees almost seem parched as they sink heavily into an expansive body of still water. Cumpston’s multimedia style combines the inherent realism of photography with the intimacy of hand-colouring, creating an eerie presence. Even as the horizon softly blazes, recalling devasting Australian wildfires, it seems almost hopeful too. Perhaps that is the call of flourishing lands, because there seems to be a forest just out of reach. Here, Lake Bonney Barmera - place of large water highlights the conflict that pervades the public sphere: while disaster lies around us, we can still see an attainable future. There still exists trees to be cut down and coal to be extracted. Yet Cumptson foregrounds the destruction of the present moment, the damage that her Country has survived. This immediacy demands the viewer to problematise their worldview throughout closer, more careful reflection. I relate to this image through a comparison of the land around my own home, whose unpredictable weather patterns often leave communities devastated after ‘natural’ disasters. I think this is a powerful strategy to approach the highly contested and emotionally conflicted issues of climate change. She offers an adaptable access point that individuals can engage with, inviting audiences to reflect on their own story. Yet this personal exploration remains mediated by the artist’s visual stimulus. This keeps one’s reception grounded by one’s relation to Cumpston’s worldview. As such, further critical analysis of the artwork should take into consideration the coloniality of Australian landscapes. 

Watson’s string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) follows a different pathway: this artwork traverses the concept of memory as a link between matrilineal ties and lands. The artwork positions audiences underneath a rippling surface that emphasises the ephemerality of Country – from elusive fragments of open sky to sinuous string that delicately unwinds. This string reflects traditional Waanyi practices where hair follicles are rolled to absorb oils and subsequently woven. As such, the string holds the memory of ancestors. Watson’s creative inquiry into the role of memory extends to that of Waanyi Country, where she understands water as an inherent, enduring quality that will remember its original pathway (QAGOMA, 2020). Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not always allowed. These pathways are often forcibly displaced or altered: poisons from agricultural runoffs or mining effects water quality and imposed infrastructure redefines its form. I see this darkness within string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) where deep hues seep into the work from the bottom right corner. Here, visual strategies animate dialogue around environmental action where she promotes a custodial approach: Country should be appreciated as a living entity to encourage active conservation and sustainable practices. This standpoint directly opposes Western perspectives surrounding environmental interaction, which ‘knows’ land as an inanimate object available for ownership.

In Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country), Cope engages with the concept of memory in an alternative way: she participates in the ongoing, transgenerational storying of Country where she creates a sustainable, eco-activist project. Located near Myora, an intertidal area, Cope has secured numerous hand built sculptural “sea gardens” in an effort to heal Country (Cope, n.d.). Her work is grounded by the environmental degradation she stands witness to throughout Quandamooka Country (Stradbroke Island, Queensland), in particular the diminished population of oyster reefs. This is a direct impact of the extractive settler-colonial practices that were imposed after Australian invasion (ABC Arts, 2022). Where oyster reefs provide habitats as mineral-rich, carbon-capturing filtration organisms, large-scale depletion has had notable consequences on surrounding ecosystems (ABC Arts, 2022). As such, Cope has engaged in a radical approach to artistic activism: her living sculpture works as an innovative, functional habitat restoration project. Through caring for Country, Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) contributes to an ongoing storying of Aboriginal creative inquiry: where she foregrounds custodianship, Cope pledges resistance to the colonial project by regenerating ancestorial practices to offset the consequences of climate change. 

Martin’s highly theoretical strategy toward environmental action, as presented in Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3, is grounded by an embodied, ‘methexical’ visual storying of Country: that is, the performative “reverberation of bringing something into being” (CLIMARTE, 2021). This artwork is made up of thirty individual hand-drawn canvases that depicts a ‘Bunggabi’ (tree) on Wurundjeri Country (CLIMARTE, 2021). I think it is interesting that the artist presented the work in charcoal, which typically dims its subject. However, I find this decision emphasises the sculptural forms of the land and emphasises its diverse ecological features. Here, Martin effectively transforms embodied knowledge into visual data to animate Country as a subject. I find Martin’s conceptual grounds difficult to engage with, which might speak to my limited perspective as a non-Indigenous person more than the difficulty of the philosophy. Yet I can grasp this idea when thinking about the nature of storytelling as animating something intangible. In Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3, Martin relies on the visual embodiment of memory to story the land into being. As such, Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3 presents as an immersive, intersubjective aesthetic experience. 

I have also drawn from Kombu-merri and Waka Waka philosopher Mary Graham’s Some Thoughts About the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews (2008) where the author critically assesses the singular nature of Aboriginal ontology. She beautifully expresses the inextricable role of Country in human life, where she explains that “[b]ecause land is sacred and must be looked after, the relations between people and land becomes the template for society and social relations” (Graham, 2008, p. 106). I would like to approach my critical essay with her writing in the back of my mind as this underlying ontology can be seen to pervade each Aboriginal artists’ expression of Country. I also found this an important truth to live by, particularly in a time when many people feel disconnected from each other. We can look to heal our relationships by first healing the lands upon which we live. This perspective provides an alternative worldview to concepts born from the Anglosphere that are ingrained within white Australian culture and government. For example, the supposed limitless resource of natural environments that allows for endless extraction. This utilitarian language purposefully strips ecologies of the possibility, or inherent existence, of a meaningful relationship between people and place. As such, the model for social relationships is strictly functional. Graham’s text offers an alternative structure that foregrounds sensuous understanding of the land as well as our reciprocal dependence for existence. I find this concept of embodied knowledge is often brought up in discussions around Aboriginal artwork, which I think speaks to the depth of artists connection with their world. As such, I would like to turn to an important moment that influenced my understanding of Aboriginal cultural expression.

In January 2020, The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) hosted a significant event in affiliation with their current interdisciplinary exhibition ‘Water’. The discussion panel, titled “Traditional Responses to Contemporary Problems”, connected Aboriginal artists Watson, Cope, and Wiradjuri woman Nicole Foreshew with Bundjalung and Kullilli host Daniel Browning. Their extensive dialogue took me on a journey to each artists homeland to examine the conditions of their Country in our collective, global climate emergency. Their acts of storying built a web of connection between the audience and each other through the intimacy of sharing and listening (Phillips & Bunda, 2018). This process foregrounded embodied knowledge and evolving relationalities by honouring sensational presence over cognitive perception (Phillips & Bunda, 2018). I found learning about this alternative way of being transformed my understanding of Aboriginal worldviews, as well as broader discourse around knowledge. Using this framework to examine the work of Aboriginal artists will allow for genuine insight into both their practice and intentions. 

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Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. [QAGOMA]. (2020, January 29). Water/ Traditional responses to contemporary problems [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aK1AHT5sW0

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Connection to Country: Logic of Place in Aboriginal Artists’ Storying of Climate Action  

Focused Area: Visual Arts

Chosen Artist/s: Judy Watson, Brian Martin, Megan Cope, Nici Cumpston

Theme: Climate Change, Country, Post-Colonisation/Globalisation

Kombu-merri and Waka Waka academic Mary Graham (2008) emphasises the ontological role of Country, where: 

 The two most important kinds of relationship in life are, firstly, those between land and people and, secondly, those amongst people themselves […] Because land is sacred and must be looked after, the relations between people and land becomes the template for society and social relations. (p. 106)

I centralise this philosophy in my research into Aboriginal artists’ expression of connection to Country as it underpins visual responses to environmental issues. Located in so-called Australia, Aboriginal artists’ creative inquiry into nature necessarily engages with postcolonising methodologies of resistance. Where Country has been unlawfully inhabited by colonial settlers, Aboriginal peoples face systemic modes of displacement that extend into socio-economic issues. The natural consequences of globalisation throughout postcolonising societies are increasingly present in Australia, from rapid bushfires to devastating foods. Climate Council of Australia’s recent national report shows that 80% of Australians have experienced some “form of extreme weather disaster since 2019” (Blashki, Bradshaw, Gardner, & Gergis, 2023, iv). This study also acknowledges the increased risks of climate change for Indigenous peoples, whose ancestorial connection to Country intensifies consequences to mental health (Blashki et al., 2023). As an Anglo-Saxon ‘Australian’, I approach this topic from a largely academic perspective that draws upon first-hand knowledge of the selected Aboriginal artists: Nici Cumpston, Megan Cope, Brian Martin, and Judy Watson.

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storying

transgenerational

legacy

postcolonial, postcolonising

relationalities

climate action

Aboriginal worldviews

eco-activism

resistance

endurance

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Nici Cumpston (1963 - ) (Barkandji)

Lake Bonney Barmera – place of large water, 2022

pigment inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper, hand coloured with watercolours and pencils

91  x 277.5 cm

Barkandji artist Nici Cumpston (b. 1963) works as a photographer whose practice imbues landscapes with her spiritual presence by hand colouring printed images. I will draw upon her largescale artwork Lake Bonney Barmera – place of large water (2022) as a case study to engage in the concerns of my research. 

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Judy Watson (1959 - ) (Waanyi)

string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami), 2019 

synthetic polymer paint, graphite, pastel, watercolour pencil on canvas

261.0 x 180.5 cm

Waanyi artist Judy Watson (b. 1959) demonstrates the uniquely powerful storytelling of contemporary Indigenous artists, being an international phenomenon within the art world. Her multidisciplinary creative practice presents a significant case study for examination, where her subtle visual language communicates the poignant consequences of climate change to Country under oppressive postcolonising governance. Watson’s timeless piece string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) (2019) emphasises connection to Country through a distinct and complex dialectic.

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Megan Cope (1982 - ) (Quandamooka)

Documentation of Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country), 2022

installation, Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island)

Quandamooka artist Megan Cope (b. 1982) works as a multidisciplinary artist to explore narratives of belonging, colonisation, and Country. I will examine her ongoing sculptural project Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) (2022), which reconciles scientific knowledge of Country with creative inquiry.

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Brian Martin (1972 -) (Muruwari/Bundjalung/Kamilaroi)

Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3, 2012

charcoal on paper

209.0 x 146.0 cm

Muruwari, Bundjalung, and Kamilaroi artist and academic Dr Brian Martin (b. 1972) explores the sociological manifestations of the Indigenous ontological concept of Country, which emphasises reciprocity. His charcoal drawing Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3 (2012) will be examined in dialogue with the other works as an alternative means to visually communicate environmental issues. 

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Annotated Bibliography

Ardill, A. (2013). Australian Sovereignty, Indigenous Standpoint Theory and Feminist Standpoint Theory, Griffith Law Review, 22(2), 315-343, DOI: 10.1080/10383441.2013.10854778  

Allan Ardill presents an argument around the necessity of foregrounding Indigenous knowledge to combat the inherent systems of power in critical literature. His work provides a theoretical framework to contextualise my research as it advantages Indigenous perspectives as ongoing sovereign custodians within Australia’s postcolonising society. As such, Standpoint Theory is a relevant concept to integrate into my academic research and critically assess the work of Indigenous artists.

Blashki, G., Bradshaw, S., Gardner, J., & Gergis, J. (2023). Climate Trauma: The growing toll of climate change on the mental health of Australians. Retrieved from Climate Council of Australia website: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/climate-trauma/.

Climate Council of Australia’s report works to contextualise my research as it provides scientific data on the increased risk of climate change and its subsequent effects on Australian citizens’ mental health. The paper also notes the increased risk for disadvantaged groups, which includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Graham, M. (Kombu-merri & Waka Waka). (1999). Some Thoughts About the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews. Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, 3(2), 105–18. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853599X00090

Kombu-merri & Waka Waka philosopher Mary Graham presents an invaluable account of Aboriginal ontological frameworks, where the sociological role of Country is integral to broader relational systems. Graham highlights the strategic long-term mindset of Aboriginal logic that contributes to a collective spiritual entity, which is largely grounded by the educational role of Country. She notes “Aboriginal logic maintains that there is no division between the observing mind and anything else: there is no ‘external world’ to inhabit. There are distinctions between the physical and the spiritual, but these aspects of existence continually interpenetrate each other” (Watson, 2014, p. 113).

Martin, B. (Muruwari, Bundjalung, & Kamilaroi). (2021). Prof. Brian Martin: “Country is something we belong to”: Melbourne Art Fair [Written transcription]. Retrieved from https://melbourneartfair.com.au/prof-brian-martin-country-is-something-we-belong-to/

Here, Dr Brian Martin of the Muruwari, Bundjalung, & Kamilaroi peoples talks about the philosophical complexities of his creative practice, which he understands as a continuous process of creation. He explains “The interconnectedness between the human and non-human is vital to an Indigenous configuration of the world […] All entities have agency and subjectivity with real material affects within the world” (Martin, 2021).

McGregor, D. (Anishinaabe). (2020). Indigenous environmental justice: Towards an ethical and sustainable future. In Hokowhitu, B., Moreton-Robinson, A., Tuhiwai-Smith, L., Andersen, C., & Larkin, S. (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies (1st ed.) (pp. 405-418). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/10.4324/9780429440229

Anishinaabe woman Deborah McGregor insists “A distinct [Indigenous environmental justice] formulation must ground its foundations in Indigenous philosophies, ontologies, and epistemologies in order to reflect Indigenous conceptions of what constitutes justice” (2020, p. 406). Her chapter contextualises my research where she insists on the reconfiguration of systems of environmental protection and sustainable practices.

Monash University Art, Design & Architecture. (2021, March 10). Form x Content — More than a guulany (tree): Indigenous knowledge systems [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZFmqJXmFB0

This conversation between Dr Brian Martin and Wiradjuri Celtic artist Associate Professor Brook Garru Andrew represents the inaugural MUMA Climate Action Event. Martin discusses his practice, in particular his ‘Methexical Countryscape’ series, as part of a broader discussion that traverses significant interrelated concepts of relationality, cultural agency, and custodianship of Country. 

Moreton-Robinson, A. (Quandamooka). (2015). The White Possessive: Property, Power, and Indigenous Sovereignty. [Project MUSE version]. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/book/40111  

Moreton-Robinson provides a useful theoretical framework that alters my approach to understanding Indigenous artists’ inquiry into connection to Country: while postcolonial theory implies a sense of united belonging, the inherent diasporic nature of non-Indigenous peoples means their sense of place is necessarily linked to arrival and subsequent settlement. Moreton-Robinson insists on the term ‘post-colonising’ as it refers to the ongoing consequences of the initial British invasion, while referencing the performative role of ‘whiteness’ within Australia’s colonial society. 

Rey, U. (2012, June). Presences in the land: Nici Cumpston. Artlink, 32(2). Retrieved from https://search-informit-org.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/doi/10.3316/ielapa.772792091701936

This magazine article outlines the role of Barkandji artist Nici Cumpston’s ancestral lands in her contemporary creative practice. Her forensic photographic style highlights the significance of river systems in Western New South Wales, where eroding landscapes reveal signs of Indigenous occupation. Rey offers a brief biographical history that informs Cumpston’s practice, as well as situating her work in a larger, photographic art historical framework.

Watson, I. (Tanganekald, Meintangk, & Boandik). (2014). Re-Centring First Nations Knowledge and Places in a Terra Nullius Space. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 10(5), 508–520. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/10.1177/117718011401000506

Watson, an Aboriginal lawyer and scholar, provides a concise debate on the ideally central role of Indigenous knowledges in Australia’s colonial settler society. She concludes “The future of the natural world, along with First peoples, could be secured by the state engaging in a process of de-colonisation,” which “would work to remedy past injustices by unpacking the myth of terra nullius and enabling reinvigorated First Nations places to fill a perceived emptiness…” (Watson, 2014, p. 518).

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. [QAGOMA]. (2020, January 29). Water/ Traditional responses to contemporary problems [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aK1AHT5sW0

Waanyi artist Judy Watson, Quandamooka artist Megan Cope, and Wiradjuri artist Nicole Foreshew discusses their works in relation to our contemporary climate emergency and cultural crisis. Watson refers directly to the narratives behind string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) (2019) and Cope speaks around her ongoing project that stems from Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) (2022). These artists debate emotively about socio-economic issues, which effects relationality between Country and peoples, that have occurred due to postcolonial globalisation.