Yawkyawk
Artist
Dorothy Bibora
Datec 2002
Object number00042492
NameWoven sculpture
MediumPandanus grass, natural fibres, natural pigment
DimensionsOverall: 3800 x 1120 x 60 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA woven sculpture of yawkyawk (mermaid) by Dorothy Bibora constructed from natural fibres, natural pigment and pandanus grass.HistoryThe Yawkyawks are ancestor spirits. During the time of creation the Yawkyawks (meaning young girl) traveled from the saltwater at gupanga to gochan on the cadal river. There, as a result of many adventures they changed into mermaids or ngalkunburriyaymi `the young woman who has a tail like a fish'. Today the yawkyawks are still alive and living in lagoons on sacred sites, many with ngalyod, the rainbow serpent. Yawkyawks and weavings associated with ancestral women are powerful symbols of fertility. In the ancestral past, women were the powerful creation beings who gave birth to the clans. Men stole women's ritual knowledge and now use it in initiation ceremonies. Woven conical mats are used to cover young male initiates and the opening of the mat is a metaphor for birthing. To young initiates it is a rebirth from boyhood to manhood . The mermaid spirits are represented in clan designs as woven mats.SignificanceThe importance of fibre objects are linked to all areas of everyday life as well as representing personified events and actions that reinforce Indigenous Australians' connections to the land. The mythological figure of the yawkyawk was first depicted using weaving techniques by Lena Yarinkura. Her successful use of fibres has prompted others to follow her techniques and experiment with them. The jellyfish represent primarily a food source in northern Australia as well as appearing in ancestral stories. Their shape make them easily represented using dried pandanus leaves and local ochres.
