Exchanging of gifts has always been an important aspect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. The tradition is a mark of respect and an acknowledgement of one’s culture and family history.
Yesterday, North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin, Jed Anderson and Paul Ahern presented the Collingwood Football Club with Scar Tree Full Ochre, a canvas painting using traditional ochre pigment sourced from the Dubbo area in Central Western NSW, painted by Wiradjuri Kamilaroi artist Cara Shields.
Drawing inspiration from tree carvings and the natural patterns that occur in trees due to the removal of bark, Shields highlights a deep connection to the land.
Shields said on Wiradjuri Country, scared tree carving was used as markers for ceremonial sites, burials and tribal boundaries.
Intricate lines where carved into the tree trunks. Bark was also removed from the trees leaving a scar on the trunk for the purposes of making canoes, shields and coolamons.
The stylised patterned white lines represent Shields’ interpretation of regrowth lines from bark removal while also incorporating design elements of the deep carving lines.
The yellow ochre splatted in the background was used to add a texture feeling to the lines of when you touch a tree, its trunk is never smooth.
The white stylised ochre lines represent the artists interpretation of tree regrowth and carving lines.
The Huddle and the North Melbourne Football Club would like to thank the Jellurgal Aboriginal Culture Centre in Queensland who helped organise the gift and extend a special thanks to Wiradjuri Kamilaroi artist, Cara Shields, for sharing her culture through art.
