'Thap Yongk' by Joe Ngallametta
Object No. 2019/76/1
Mr Ngallametta Snr (1945-2005) was one of the few remaining Kugu language speakers and was a senior lawman for the Kang'khan people of Snake river, south of Aurukun on Cape York Peninsula. Thap Yongk relate to the most fundamental issues of Indigenous Australian culture - the inter-relationships of land, culture and the creation time. Representing upturned trees, the Thap Yongk extend from the ground, suggesting branches hidden beneath the earth, while the roots are at the top of the poles. The poles draw the spirit back to the ground, the 'hidden' branches symbolising the extensive network of stories and laws connecting people to the land and to each other. Thap Yongk are usually only seen by the men of the community, but Ngallametta gave permission for these poles to be shared with the larger community, stating: 'I know your laws: now you can understand mine'. Marcus Hughes, Head of Indigenous Engagement & Strategy, 2019
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Sculpture, 'Thap yongk', natural earth pigments on wood, by Joe Ngallametta, Aurukun, Queensland, Australia, 2004
Physical Description
Hand carved milkwood in the shape of an upturned tree, with four rectangular shaped roots extending from the top of a cylindrical trunk. Alternating horizontal stripes of hand painted white and red ochre decorate the full exterior. The red representing the reflection of the sun as it sets over the Gulf of Carpentaria and the white, the salt water of the shore.
DIMENSIONS
Height
2020 mm
Diameter
270 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Carved and hand-painted by Mr Ngallametta Snr in 2004. The milkwood has been painted with ochre, the red representing the reflection of the sun as it sets over the Gulf of Carpentaria and the white the reflecting the salt water of the shore.
HISTORY
Notes
Mr Ngallametta Snr (b. 1945) was one of the few remaining Kugu language speakers and was a senior lawman for the Kang'khan people of Snake river, south of Aurukun on Cape York Peninsula. He was, until his passing in 2005, the senior carver at the Wik and Kugu Art Centre in Aurukun. As Ngallametta once explained: 'Any people buy it, they come to my spirit, it is drawing in the spirit, this is for my relations and they learn it, it is law, when I die, I come back as this pole, this my life'. (Mr Ngallametta Snr, interview with Trish Johnson, Aurukun, September 2002)
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased with funds donated through the annual appeal and from the MAAS Foundation, 2019
Acquisition Date
10 October 2019
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry