Aboriginal Australian Artist Visits Makassar

Aboriginal artists Ronal Nawurapu(left) and Jamie(middle) collaborated with artists Sinrilik Makassar Syarifuddin(right) during the celebration of Memorial Day Committee Aboriginal and Islander in Makassar.(ANTARA FOTO/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang)

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Australian Embassy has invited aboriginal Australian artist Ronald Nawurapu Wunungmurra (Nawurapu) to Jakarta and Makassar on the occasion of Australia's NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders' Day Observance Committee) Week 2015.

Every July, Australians from all walks of life observe NAIDOC Week to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This year's theme is "We All Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate," the Australian Embassy in Jakarta said on its official website on Wednesday.

This highlights the strong spiritual and cultural connections that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have with land and sea.

Nawurapu visited Jakarta to attend the presentation of Yirrkala batik to the Textile Museum yesterday as part of a partnership between Yirrkala Arts Centre of Northeast Arnhem Land and a traditional batik-making business in Pekalongan, Central Java.

Yirrkala has an image of a bark painting created by the senior artist-in-residence, Nawurapu, who has ancestral links to Makassar. The painting shows the connections between the people of Makassar and Yolngu. The triangle design of the batik symbolizes the 'departing red sails' of Makassar traders.

Nawurapu will be visiting Makassar from today until July 10. Today, he will lead a discussion, 'Arts and the Indigenous Person', supported by Rumata Art Space.

On Thursday, July 9, he will visit various places of historical significance, including Port Paotere, Fort Somba Oou, and Museum I La Galigo, in search of the ancestral connections between the Bugis of Makassar and the Yolus of Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land, and northern Australia.

The Bugis of Makassar had trade relations with the Yolus as they sought the highly valued Trepang and regularly visited northern Australia for more than 400 years.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson expressed his hope that the batik presentation, workshops, and Nawurapu's visit would help deepen the engagement of the people-to-people link between Australia and Indonesia and foster a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their culture. (WDY)