AUSTRALIAN ART Aboriginal

Catalogue of an exhibition held at Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Bowen Hills, 2010

• [56] p. : col. ill. ; 21 cm. #110724
• Painting, Aboriginal Australian — Queensland — Aurukun (Shire) — Exhibitions
• Sculpture, Aboriginal Australian — Queensland — Aurukun (Shire) — Exhibitions
• Art, Aboriginal Australian — Queensland — Aurukun (Shire) — Exhibitions
• Australian
• Aurukun has a Rare Culture

  The traditional homelands of the Wik, Wik Way and Kugu people lie in and around the Aurukun Shire. The community is rich in traditional cultural practices. The predominant language is Wik Mungkan with remains of other dialects still spoken. English is taught in the school.

  Based on the 2006 Census, 93.7% of the population is Indigenous (3.5% of the Queensland population is Indigenous). Furthermore Aurukun is deeply linked to its traditional culture – 86.7% of the population speaks a traditional Indigenous language at home. This is rare in the Queensland Aboriginal population – only 5.3% of the total Queensland Indigenous population speaks a traditional Indigenous language at home. Traditional culture in the Aurukun community was not deliberately undermined (for example by prohibition of speaking of the native tongues) as it was in most other communities.

  Occupation of traditional lands (the outstation movement) has been inhibited by the lack of wet season transport options and by lack of institutional support in recent years. Now, however, traditional owners are receiving strong support from their corporation Aak Puul Nganttam which is placing a strong emphasis on outstation development and sustainability.