Waru Padh (green turtle nest)
Artist
Billy John McFarlane Missi
(1970-2012)
Printer
Ron McBurnie
Date2008
Object number00025978
NameLinocut
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 1200 x 810 mm
Image: 100 x 655 mm
Image: 100 x 655 mm
Copyright© Billy Missi
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis linocut by Billy Missi features a green sea turtle nest telling the story of the breeding cycle of these endangered sea creatures. Baby turtles are shown leaving the nest and making their way to the open sea; in the background a goanna looks for the remaining eggs as a favourite food.HistoryArtist's statement: All Torres Strait Islands have individual significance and a uniqueness about them, whether it's to do with the vegetation or the eco-system. Maluilgal Country (Western Torres Strait), in particular, is a part of the Great Dividing Range that once long ago formed a land bridge, linking Australia to Papua New Guinea's highlands. We have high peaks with surrounding rainforest as well.
During the big monsoonal rain our rainforests are lively and glow green. Green Turtles crawl up onto the beaches to the fringe of the thick bushes to lay their eggs on the uninhabited little Isles. This is the only time Green Turtles lay.
From the minute they lay, goannas are usually not far away to sniff and invade the nest before hunting parties arrive. At the beginning of the year the eggs hatch and a new life cycle of Green Turtles begins. They face threats from scavenging seagulls along the shorelines and predators when they reach the ocean.
The rains of the monsoon bring new life for us to share and appreciate our natural surroundings in the wilderness between two masses of land, Papua New Guinea toward the north and Australia to the south.SignificanceBilly Missi's linocut offers an opportunity to better understand the green sea turlte - its impact on indigenous communities and its current endangered position in the world's oceans.
