Pitta Pitta

Year 7 The Arts

Interact with communities to explore their cultural knowledge and stories

Wägilak

Protocols for welcoming visitors on Country have always been part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and offer visitors safe passage and protection. Respect this by experiencing each community’s Welcome to Country first before navigating the lands. 

Diversity of Arts Discovery Maps

Bangerang

Community

Arts Map

Gapuwiyak Culture & Arts

Subscribe to download unit plans and worksheets. Here, students are encouraged to create their own artworks using natural elements. They experiment with botanical dyeing using plants, herbs and root vegetables as shown in the films!

Welcome

Wägilak Community 

Wägilak Painting

Wägilak Weaving

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Welcome to the Wägilak Community!   We invite you to watch the Welcome and read about the Storytellers and their communities.Make your way around the homelands of the Wägilak peoples to admire the process of weaving and various painting styles.  On your journey reflect on these questions: 1. What did the films teach you about the important roles and responsibilities in the Wagilak community?2. Where else have you seen weaving? In clothing? Jewellery? Household items?3. Document the weaving process in your notebook4. What is cross-hatching in First Nations art? How do these lines convey intricate stories and cultural significance within First Nations artworks? 

Possum Skin Cloak

Arts Map

Bangerang Art Styles

Storytellers

Welcome to Bangerang Country! We invite you to watch the Welcome and read about the Storytellers and their communities. Make your way around Bangerang Country to learn about the process of creating traditional possum skin cloaks and gain an insight into the meaning of the cultural markings used in clothing and carvings.  On your journey reflect on these questions:1.  What artistic style was used in the Bangerang artworks and carvings?2. What types of trees are used for the wood?3. Document the Cloak Creation Process in your notebook4. How do you think the elements of Country affect the types of art produced within a community?

Bangerang Community 

Subscribe to download unit plans and worksheets. Here, students explore the fascinating history of fashion and the influence Indigenous cultures continue to have on fashion today. Students create historical timelines using craft and technology as well as design their own wearable art!

Welcome to Pitta Pitta Country! We invite you to watch the Welcome and read about the Storytellers and their communities. Explore Australia's historical artefact collection practices and the colonial-era removals of sacred objects and ancestral remains.  On your journey reflect on these questions:1. Who created these rare sculptures, and what do they represent to the Pitta Pitta community? 2. How can artefacts, like the sculptures depicting women wearing the mourning dress, provide evidence regarding a specific cultural practice or historical period?3. What are some of the challenges and emotions associated with the non-Indigenous possession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts?4. How might organisations like the Royal Historical Society proactively contribute to repatriation efforts and cultural preservation?

'An Aboriginal Sculptress'

Subscribe to download unit plans and worksheets. Here, students explore the ethical considerations surrounding cultural repatriation and  investigate various ancient artefacts from around the world. 

Pitta Pitta Community 

Sculptures

Yolŋu people have lived in North East Arnhem Land for tens of thousands of years. Within Yolŋu there are over sixty clan groups, with many distinct languages and dialects. The Wägilak people are a clan within a broader network of clans known as Dhurili. The Dhurili clans share many of the same songs and stories. Image: Wägilak Custodian Russell Waṉapuyŋu holding a painting he created.

Wägilak Community

The Bangerang People are the people of the tall trees. Their Country encompasses the North East of Victoria and the Southern Riverina Murray of New South Wales.  ‘My name's Kevin Atkinson, I'm from the Moiraduban, Bangerang people and we are at the Bangerang Cultural Center which was set up as an education tool to educate not only Indigenous people, but the wider community.’

Storyteller - Kevin Atkinson

Pitta Pitta is in North West Queensland. Pitta Pitta is considered an endangered language with minimal speakers; however, the work of SharingStories in collaboration with Traditional Owners is putting it in the spotlight to ensure Pitta Pitta Language and cultural knowledges are passed onto future generations. 

Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts  Some of the dimbookas or baskets made by Wagilak weavers are sold at Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts Centre. Here you can see many handwoven items made from Gunga (Pandanus Palm). The link will open in a new window—close the window to return to this Discovery Map.

Storyteller - Roland Atkinson

The Bangerang People are the people of the tall trees. Their Country encompasses the North East of Victoria and the Southern Riverina Murray of New South Wales.  ‘My name is Roland Atkinson and I am a proud Moiraduban yiyirr of the Bangerang Nation Language Group.’

An Aboriginal Sculptress Written in 1937, Rodney Taylor's article in the Sydney Mail explores the enigmatic connection between Pitta Pitta sculptures and distant ancient civilizations.  The link will open in a new window—close the window to return to this Discovery Map.