Finding the heart of our country… My first visit to Kakadu

Some years ago when I first went to Kakadu an acquaintance pointed out an old indigenous man in a baseball cap and in a hushed voice whispered to me, “He’s a Painter.”

Arriving in Kakadu with the same goal as most, which was to see the magnificent natural country, and enjoy the scenery and the wildlife. I had not given any thought to what might lie deeper within the heart and soul of the landscape and particularly the “Country”.

It took me a long time to unravel just what a painter is, and what it means to be a painter in our First Australians culture. We late arrivals for the most part have a European view of painting as a singular activity, and accordingly view a lot of First Australian painting from a poor perspective. Sure, if it makes economic sense to invest, we do, but not many of us take the journey to discover just how much more we can get from our foray into this intriguing world. As a result we miss a truly unique opportunity. We should take the journey; it is rich, rewarding and probably never ending.

In Kakadu the painters are from the Kunwinjku speakers and geographically cover an area now known as Western Arnhem Land and Kakadu. For however long the First Australians have been here, and the debate ranges up to 150,000 years, there has been painting. Painting along with dreamtime stories, ceremonies and dancing has provided the means by which clans and families were able to visualise the stories of the dreamtime and the roles that various spirits played in the creation of Country.

A Kunwinjku painting of a dreamtime story is a journey through that story with depictions and images that the painter personally brings to the medium. Many stories are complex but have lasted forever, in part, because of the paintings. First done on rock, then on bark and now paper. An understanding of these realities means every viewing of a Kunwinjku painting is a full sensory experience, not just visual. Chances to see far back into the distance when mankind was surviving in this marvellous place in a time different, but in a culture the same.

It was a very humbling experience, meeting with painters. The skills and the far-knowing attitudes are wonderful to share. The furrowed brows and the humour just waited to bubble out as another tiny line is added with precision to a Raark painting. This has been going on here, in the same way, for thousands of years.

If you go to the Top End allow plenty of time to reward yourself with a life altering experience. Sure it’s Art but it is much more than that, it’s a tangible link to what went before and there is nowhere else on Earth that you can experience it to the same degree as you can in the Top End of Australia. The Kunwinjku painters are a unique Australian phenomenon and bring something very special to your visit. Embrace it while you are there.

Now, when I have the opportunity, I like nothing better than to pass on this information in a way that befits the subject. My message is simple, speak reverently my friend, “He’s a Painter”.