POssum Skin Cloak PDF

a Possum Skin Cloak
by the Lake
An
ABORIGINAL
CULTURAL
REVIVAL
PROJECT
Project Partners
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery
LMCAG’s Aboriginal Reference Group
Lake Macquarie City Library
Project Team
Coordinating artist: Douglas Archibald
Project coordinator: Donna Fernando
Education consultants: Teagan Goolmeer, Cherie Johnson
Community Participants
Doug Archibald, Selena Archibald, Trevor Archibald, Sue Archibald, Amy Buesnel, Gary Biles, Donna Fernando,
Laura Fernando, Brittany Biles, Indianna Biles, Bud Gibson, Dawn Townsend, Cherie Johnson, Fred Goolmeer,
Neil Goolmeer, Teagan Goolmeer, Louise Charles, Kim Charles, Scott Luschwitz, Dianne Luschwitz,
Sonya Erskine, Tazmyne Luschwitz, Tyrah-Ruby Luschwitz, Sue Stewart, Elizabeth Deaves, India Latimore,
Kash Latimore, Simone Place (Mantor), Adam Ridgeway, Sharon Carrette, Alex Brennan, Lachlan Brennan,
Sophie Brennan, Christine Everrit, Tamara Drylie, Dhani Drylie, Yinaa Drylie, Nirikai Drylie, Jen Balancire
Video production by Anthony Scully, ABC Open Hunter abc.net.au/open
Participating Schools
Booragul Public School, Dungog High School, Hinton Public School, Hunter School of Performing Arts,
Rathmines Public School, St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School, Tomaree High School, Wallsend South Public School,
Whitebridge High School and Belmont High School (attended workshop only).
Publication prepared by Teagan Goolmeer and Cherie Johnson

in consultation with the project team, partners and community participants
Published by Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery 2011.
Revision in consultation with Education Consultants and Aboriginal Reference Group 2012.
Editor: Debbie Abraham
Proof reader: Jenny Scepanovic
© Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and all contributors

Design: Raelene Narraway, Lakemac Print
Design Watermark: Douglas Archibald Mangroves (detail) 2010
Images courtesy the participants and project team
The education component of this project was partly funded through the Creative Education
Partnerships ConnectEd Program supported by Communities NSW in partnership with the NSW
Department of Education and Training; and partly funded through the State Library of New South
Wales Library Development Grant Program.
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and Lake Macquarie City Library
are supported by Lake Macquarie City Council
Lake Macquarie
City Library
2 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
THE HISTORY OF CLOAK-MAKING IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA 7
THE ETHICS OF USING POSSUM SKINS 10
THE CLOAK DIARY 11
Community 11
Schools 20
Making Possum Skin Armbands 21
CROSS-CURRICULUM LESSON SUGGESTIONS 22
HSIE: Aboriginal Studies 22
HSIE: Geography 23
TAS: Textiles 24
TAS: Cooking 25
TAS: Industrial Arts 25
TAS: Marine Studies 26
TAS: Agriculture 26
Maths 28
English 28
CAPA: Visual Arts 29
CAPA: Drama 30
Life Skills 30
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 30
SYMBOLS CHART 31
THE TRAVELLING SUITCASES 32
THE CLOAK STORIES 33
school pelt stories 42
APPENDICES 44
Activity Sheet 44
Find a word 45
Crossword 46
Glossary 47
Comprehension Sheet: The Ethics of Using Possums Skins 48
Comprehension Sheet: Making a Possum Skin Cloak 50
Images of Pelts Referenced in Cross-Curriculum Lesson Suggestions 52
An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 3

INTRODUCTION
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery’s Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG), in collaboration with
the Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and Lake Macquarie City Library, hosted a series of
workshops between October 2010 and January 2011 to facilitate the design and creation
of a possum skin cloak by members of the Aboriginal community, and develop valuable
educational resources for the region.
The seed of A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake was planted when Victorian-based Aboriginal
artists Lee Darroch and Vicki Couzens with curator Amanda Reynolds approached the
gallery in mid 2009 to conduct a workshop imparting the skills they have been developing
and researching over the past twelve years. The main aim of their workshop was to teach
the local community skills by having them contribute to the Pacific Festival Cloak they had
been working on with other communities. The day and a half workshop in November 2009
with Lee and Maree Clarke was highly successful, and added to the established skills and
knowledge within the local community. As the workshop was intended to be a part of a
cultural revival movement, participants were left feeling confident enough to extend the
tradition through their own major project.
The resulting project, A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake, had far-reaching effects and
contributed greatly to the revival of this cultural practice which is significant for people
from many nations across south-eastern Australia. The key to the project was to pay
tribute to tradition in a contemporary context. It brought together over 40 participants
who, together, taught and learnt techniques of designing, painting with ochres and using
a burning tool to decorate each pelt to reflect ‘country’ and ‘identity’ through personal water
stories. The workshops were multi-generational with an emphasis on family, school groups
and local knowledge.
Ten schools were involved in the initial stages of the project, during which they learnt about
the tradition of cloak-making and practised skills while making possum skin armbands. In
addition, each school was allocated a pelt to design for exhibition, which was returned to
each school not only as a reminder of the significance of possum skin cloaks and Aboriginal
culture in the region, but also as an acknowledgment of the achievements of the Aboriginal
students involved.
The community and school workshops were managed by the ARG, with direction from artist
Doug Archibald, project coordinator Donna Fernando, and educators Teagan Goolmeer and
Cherie Johnson. The success of the project was due to the knowledge and enthusiasm of
this dedicated group of people who have worked together since 2000 to promote, support
and celebrate Aboriginal art and culture in the region. It also touched many participants

in a personal, cultural and profound way, allowing them to discover, or rediscover, their
heritage. In fact, artist Doug Archibald rediscovered his own family’s links to possum stories
in Gumbangarri country.
The ARG’s aim was for the cloak to be made by the community for the community: the
finished cloak was displayed at the gallery from 21 January – 6 March 2011 along with
working drawings, process information and a DVD made as a part of the ABC Open
program. The cloak exhibition was also displayed at the Australian Museum from 18 March –
31 July 2011 and was seen by a record number of visitors. After exhibition, the cloak is now
housed at the gallery in the custodianship of the ARG, but may be formally borrowed by
community members for appropriate Aboriginal ceremonies, funerals and occasions.
Long-lasting outcomes for the project are this education resource kit; ABC Open DVD; two
travelling ‘suitcases’ to be used by schools, community groups and libraries; and online
resources for the libraries. These resources will not only benefit the community and school
students by contributing to literacy levels and artistic practice, but will also build pride within
the Aboriginal community and extend cultural knowledge. Lake Macquarie City Library
will continue to support this process by establishing its own reference group to improve
access to library collections and programs. The reference group will promote local Aboriginal
literature and language and develop online resources for use by residents and non-residents.
The gallery has achieved much success with its Indigenous programs over the past twelve
years, and the long-term plan for the library is to build on that strength and capacity and
make Aboriginal programming and resources a fundamental part of library services in Lake
Macquarie. A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake provides an opportunity for the library to
make more connections with the community, to collaboratively record Aboriginal history and
culture through family stories, and support the recovery of Aboriginal language, literature
and those stories.
The gallery and library are proud to be involved in such a significant project in partnership
with the ARG. We feel confident, through this work, that this tradition and associated
learning will strengthen cultural practice in the region.
Debbie Abraham Del Abbot

Gallery Director Customer Services Coordinator
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery Lake Macquarie City Library

OPossum Skin Cloak (known as Hunter River Cloak) acc. 1858
147 x 145cm
donated by United States Exploration Expedition
collection Smithsonian Institute, Washington, United States

THE HISTORY OF CLOAK-MAKING
IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA
The tradition of using possum skins for the making of cloaks, waistbands, belts, armbands
and headbands was practised by Aboriginal people across eastern Australia.
Historical accounts of the customary methods of trapping, preparation, decoration and
use of possum skin cloaks within Aboriginal nations in Queensland and throughout New
South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania are numerous and extensively documented. Nations in
NSW include those of the Dharug, Kamilaroi, Gumbangarri, Wiradjuri, Worimi, Wonnaruah,
Darkinjung, Awabakal and Narrinyeri people.
One of the earliest documented accounts of a possum skin cloak is from Governor
Macquarie. In his journal on 10 May 1815 (Bathurst), he recounts that three Wiradjuri
warriors, led by Windradyne, visited him and gifts were exchanged. Macquarie
gave Windradyne a tomahawk and a piece of yellow cloth; in return he received a
possum skin cloak.1
An account closer to home is of Robert Miller during his explorations in the mid-nineteenth
century around the (now) Hunter Valley area. He said of the Wonnaruah [sic] people, ‘...they
wear opossum skin cloaks, and a girdle of spun opossum hair next to the skin, and their
principle ornament is a nautilus shell cut into an oval’.2
One example of cloak-making from this region is held in the Smithsonian Institute
(Washington, DC, USA). Known as the Hunter River Cloak, it was collected during an
expedition in the mid 1800s by American explorer Charles Wilkes. It features four rows of
six rectangular pelts sewn on the back, edge to edge, with very fine overhand stitching of
corded sinew. The fur has been left on and the skin side is completely covered with large
diamond-shaped designs made by scraping up a thin layer of the skin so that it stands
up in a little curl.3
Traditionally, cloaks were used for ceremonial purposes: in dance, drumming, initiation
rites and also in daily life. They were primarily worn as a means of protection from winter
conditions, but also used as a shelter from heat and wet weather and to carry babies
and small children.
A local example of how valuable the cloaks were in trade is suggested by stories of the
Darkinjung nation trading them with inland tribes in exchange for spears and woomeras.
In the Dandenong region of Victoria, the trade value of a cloak was said to be worth a
greenstone axe. They were also given as peace and marriage offerings.
Possum skin cloaks were created for individuals when they were born and were added
to throughout their lives. The intricate designs and ochre decorations were either made
by the individual or by others, depending on the design and the purpose for which they
were being added.

The cloak recorded clan moiety and a person’s journey through initiation. It symbolised
the individual’s status and was unique to each owner so was easily recognised by other
members of the tribe and surrounding clans. An historical example of this comes from
James Fraser (1882): ‘...a friend tells me that on one occasion he had a opossum cloak
made for him by a man of the Kamilaroi tribe, who marked it with his own mombarai;
when this cloak was shown to another black man sometime after, he at once exclaimed,
“I know who made this; here is his mombarai.”’4 (Mombarai is roughly translated as
‘his mark’; a design-based signature unique to an individual, tied to moiety and kinship lore.)
There are only six nineteenth-century possum skin cloaks known to have survived.
A number of factors have contributed to this scarceness: the cloaks were used in funerary
rites and used as a burial object; the nature of the possum skins as they were often infested
with insects and/or developed mould; and the use of natural sinews (possum and kangaroo)
led to seam fractures and fraying on some of the more fragile skins.
After white settlement, in addition to the natural causes of decay, came manmade
interventions which led to the removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands and
segregation of nations and tribes. The introduction of pastoral leases, disease, massacres
and warfare changed the way Aboriginal people existed – life became about survival.
The mandatory actions of all Aboriginal Protection Boards in each state and territory,
controlled every aspect of Aboriginal life. As a result, many cultural practices were lost
or almost lost, including the ancient craft of possum skin cloaks.
The revival movement of creating cloaks – working with skins in a modern, mostly urban
Aboriginal context – has been greatly supported by the work of Victorian-based artists
Vicki Couzins, Lee Darroch and Maree Clarke among others. To the architects of the Tooloyn
Koortakay Collection, the artists, the Aboriginal elders and the communities who shared their
knowledge and vision – we give thanks. With pride we move towards reclaiming our mutual
birthrights, to again make, to wear, to dance with, and to see possum skin cloaks in our
country for our people.
Donna Fernando
Project Coordinator
A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake
1. Journeys in Time 1809-1822 (Govenor Macquarie’s Journal), 1998-2009, Macquarie University Library and the State
Library of New South Wales, www.lib.mq.edu.au/all/journeys/people/peoplea_f.html
2. Miller, Robert, ‘The Wonnarua Tribe and Language’ in The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing
in Australia, and the routes by which it spread itself over that continent, ed. E.M. Curr. Melbourne: John Farnes, Govt.
Printer, 1886-1887: 352-7
3. National Quilt Register, Pioneer Women’s Hut Museum, Tumbarumba, NSW www.collectionsaustralia.net/nqrl/fabric.php
4. Fraser, John, ‘The Aborigines of NSW’, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW for the year 1882, 16,
Sydney: Thomas Richards, 1883: 193-233

ETHICS OF USING POSSUM SKINS
Traditionally possums were used by Aboriginal people as both a food source
and as resource material for clothing, ceremonies and possibly even games.
However, today in most areas of Australia, possum species are protected under the
provision of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. The NSW Office of the Environment
and Heritage has identified several species as having suffered a significant decline in
abundance and distribution, while many species have been identified as endangered or
threatened. In Australia a permit is required in most states to trap and relocate possums
under strict regulations. Only in extreme conditions is an additional destruction permit able
to be obtained from The NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage.
All the possum skins used in A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake were imported from New
Zealand, where the possum is classified as a pest. They were first introduced from Australia
in 1837 to start the fur industry, but now there are an estimated 63 million possums there.
This is most likely due to the fact that there are no natural predators to control the increasing
populations, which are causing severe environmental degradation and endangering native
animals and plants. In addition, they are contributing to an estimated $15 million per annum
in loss in primary production as they have been recognised as major carriers of disease.
The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals and many other
organisations regulate the culling of possums and overall treatment of the animal. Basically
Bush Ltd, the New Zealand supplier of the pelts for this project, use trapping as the most
humane method of culling the species. The use of commercial harvesting to control the size
and distribution of the possum population in New Zealand is economically, environmentally
and socially sound, placing a commercial value on the introduced species.
In addition, the import of possum skins from New Zealand enables the Aboriginal community
to revive a significant cultural tradition without endangering local possum species any further.

THE CLOAK DIARY:
Consultation and Funding
The process of designing and making the Lake Cloak was developed by the Aboriginal
Reference Group (ARG) and the project team, in consultation with the community, following
protocols developed by the ARG over 11 years of working with the gallery. Of course, the
ARG recognises that each Aboriginal community will differ in protocols and perspectives.
The first step in this project, as with any Aboriginal community project, was consultation.
As this was an Aboriginal cultural revival project, the community had to be completely
supportive and willing to participate. It was also mandatory for the ARG that an Aboriginal
artist be employed to direct the project and that Aboriginal people carried it out.
The ARG nominated a project team and negotiated a schedule for the project, including
securing funding. Possible sources were Arts NSW, Australia Council (Community
Partnerships) and Indigenous Culture Support (Federal Government). In this case funding
was secured through Arts NSW’s ConnectEd Program, so the emphasis was on education,
as are many of the ARG programs and projects.
The possum skins had to be sourced, and through some gallery contacts visiting New
Zealand, an exporter called Basically Bush Ltd was discovered. This company supplies
tanned pelts to order for a reasonable price and delivery time and is very helpful. The
possum species is slightly different to those in Australia in size and colour.
The Workshops
The community workshops were predominantly carried out on Saturday afternoons from
2pm–4pm, with occasional weekend sessions towards the end to finalise the cloak.
These were relatively informal, with ideas and knowledge swapped between those
participating. As it was important that the cloak reflect community interests, the main
cloak-making process was developed by the project team with input from all participants,
particularly ‘yarning’ over a cup of tea and scones. A process diary was established at the
beginning, in which all ideas, stories, technical and aesthetic decisions were documented.
Workshops during school term were also held for Aboriginal school students between
October–December 2010.

Week 1 (30 October)
The main objective of the first week was to establish the parameters of the project including
a general thematic approach for the cloak’s design. Many issues and ideas were discussed
and evaluated by the project team, and it was decided to base the imagery of the cloak on
water stories from the Hunter region and/or each participant’s ‘home country’. Subjects
such as fish traps, aquatic animals, landscapes, middens, river systems, lakes and the
oceanic environment were examples of what could be included, but the focus on fish was to
be limited.
It was also important to the group that the cloak’s designs were of a general nature; they
were to be images rather than text, not realistic renditions of stories and not be about
men and or women-specific business. Once the overall design factors of the cloak were
established, the group brainstormed to produce general ideas for stories and individual pelt
designs. Most people commenced their initial rough design with assistance from the project
artist Doug Archibald.
Week 2 (6 November)
To commence this session a visual presentation was delivered that outlined the history
and contemporary possibilities of cloak-making. The design brief was reiterated for the
benefit of new participants. This process was repeated over the coming weeks to ensure all
participants were working in the same direction.
The use of traditional and/or contemporary symbols or designs as a vehicle through which
to tell a personal story was discussed at length. It was also noted that the public would view
the works and thus no secret/sacred images/symbols should be used. The public would be
able to read each story with the aid of text panels in the exhibition.
There was much discussion about how the final cloak should look and how that best
could be achieved. Many questions were raised including ‘When should we sew the pelts
together?’; ‘How will each design fit in with the overall scheme of the cloak?’; and ‘How will
the ochre process work; is there any pre-treatment required?’

It was decided after much discussion that the cloak-making would continually evolve, with
ideas and methods adapted throughout the process. A general layout for how the pelt
would be sewn together was drawn up, to establish the number of pelts (50–55) needed
and the estimated size of the finished cloak for installation purposes (approximately
147cm x 145cm). The layout highlighted the fact that all designs, except for those on the
collar, must be vertical in orientation.
Rough designs were drawn on A3-sized paper. The suitability of the design was discussed
with the artist and/or group. Issues such as intricacy of the line work for replication by
burning tool, appropriateness of symbols and imagery, orientation on the pelt and design
modification (if necessary).
While most participants were finishing off their rough designs, Doug tested the capacity and
effect of the burning tool on the skin. It was important to practise and refine these skills as
too much pressure could easily result in a hole in the skin, making the pelt useless for use
in the cloak. It was also discovered that using the prong at different angles produced
different types and shades of line.
The group chose a standard burning tool, Iron Core, for quality assurance. Extreme
care was taken while burning to ensure there were no injuries caused to participants.
Clear instruction was given and a ‘tool box talk’ sheet was developed that all participants
signed before they used the tool during each workshop. Burning was done outside due
to the odour.
Week 3 (13 November)
By this week, most of the participants were ready to transfer their rough drawing onto a
piece of parchment-coloured Canson paper within a pre-painted template in the shape of a
possum skin. So the designs could be transferred to the pelts, participants were asked to
ensure their designs sat within 2cm of the narrowest section of the pelt (or template of the
pelt). This would minimise the possibility of the drawings having to be adjusted or cropped
when the pelt was trimmed for sewing.
The design was firstly drawn lightly in pencil and then outlined with black ink (to emulate the
colour of the burning tool on skin). Sections were then painted in either red or yellow ochre-
coloured acrylic paint.
At this point Doug talked about how the ochre paints were made and the role of resin
binding. This elicited a ‘yarning’ session and many participants swapped their knowledge of
the process.
The ochres used on The Lake Cloak were collected from the local area in Lake Macquarie
and Watagan Mountains. The volume of ochre required varies depending on the origin of
ochre and the final colour desired. Deeper/stronger colour required more ochre powder to
be added. The ochre was made into powder form by grinding it in a mortar and pestle or
hitting it gently with a hammer.

A tree resin is used as a medium to bind the ochre and allow it to adhere to the pigment
of the skin side of the pelt. A local native tree resin was used in this case, which was
extracted directly from the trunk of the tree (500gm of the resin was needed for this cloak).
Doug found it best to extract the resin while the temperature was warm as it was more
viscose and thus easier to collect.
After much discussion within the group, Doug decided to experiment and use his own
knowledge. He added a small volume of cold water to some tree resin slowly to make a
paste with the consistency of jam. The resin mixture was left overnight, after which the
ochre powder was stirred in according to the colour desired. He found that the resulting
gritty texture was typical and once the ochres were applied to the cloak and dry, the grit
brushed away.
The success of the weekday school sessions led to several more local participants,
including family groups, starting this week. New designs and new connections were made
throughout the session. The guidelines for the design of the cloak were reiterated alongside
new guidelines for the use of ochres on the finished design as focal points to ensure the
pigment and colour didn’t overpower the intricate burned lines.
Final designs were lightly drawn onto trimmed pelts with pencil as a guide for the burning
tool. Some participants, with Doug’s help, began burning their design on the skins, while
others either finished their design or documented the design stories in the process diary
with Teagan Goolmeer.
The schedule for finishing the cloak was discussed along with the idea of taking the
workshop into the community. In addition, the process of sewing the cloak was discussed
and it was decided that all of the designs would be laid out and arranged and then sewn
together according to related stories and aesthetics.
Each pelt was created as a separate piece as participants came to the workshops.
To create a ‘whole’ cloak stylistically and thematically, the project team agreed on the
project artist creating a motif (six pelts) sited centrally on the cloak, dedicated to local
Awabakal stories; firmly placing the cloak by the ‘lake’ as well as acknowledging the
traditional owners of the area.

It was decided by the group that the pelts be cut to size by Selena Archibald before burning.
They were cut into a fairly regular rectangular shape to maintain uniformity.
After burning so many pelts, project team members determined that in order to keep the line
even and smooth, the prong of the tool needed to be replaced periodically.
Week 6 (3 & 4 December)
This workshop spread over a full weekend and was very productive. There were many
new participants and many previous participants returned to either finish off their pelt or
design a second.
The group was really motivated by the cloak taking form – the planning stage was moving
into the realisation stage. As more and more participants attended the workshops, the
word spread throughout the community about the cloak and its importance. The ongoing
discussion between participants highlighted the community’s passion and respect for the
project as an avenue for keeping local culture alive for future generations.
Week 7 (12 December)
The last school workshop was on 10 December, and many of the schools had either
brought in their design for burning, or were working on them at school.
Many of the cloak pelts were completed and there was much discussion about the
placement of each design within the total layout of the cloak to ensure it made sense.

Week 8 (18 & 19 December)
This was the final session in 2010 for the group to gather, and even though it was the
weekend before Christmas, it was the biggest turnout to date. As it was a two-day
workshop, many participants finished their pelt/s. The new participants were assisted by
regular ones to design and complete pelts.
The cloak was laid out and many pelts moved around to suit story lines or design elements.
Teagan lay down on the cloak to test the size compared to a person – the cloak was
reconfigured to suit.
Week 9 (12–16 January)
This week the core members of the group arranged the pelts for the final layout for sewing.
The designs were laid out in story lines ranging from the traditional Awabakal stories to
community/personal stories. The collar design was finalised – an image of Biame, one of the
great ancestral beings, embracing the cloak.
There was a massive working bee over several days to sew the cloak together, finalise the
collar design and finish all the templates. The cloak was sewn in sections using waxed
saddle twine. Only selected participants who had a sure knowledge of sewing carried out
this process to ensure consistency and quality in the finished cloak. These were Selena
Archibald and Louise Charles.
There was a lot of interest from local media, both print and TV, as well as ABC Open:
a community story-telling initiative. During this collaboration, producer Anthony Scully
mentored community members, particularly Teagan Goolmeer, in the process of making
and editing a video about the possum skin cloak-making project. The finished product was
in the exhibition both at the gallery and Australian Museum, as well as on ABC platforms
and in the travelling suitcases. The project team attended the opening at the Australian
Museum on 18 March 2011.

B iame

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Cloak layout: please see page 33 for the story of each pelt design.

WORKSHOP DIARY:
School WORKSHOPS
Sessions were held over six consecutive Fridays, with 150 Aboriginal students (from 10
schools) attending from the region. The sessions comprised:
• a basic history of cloak-making in Australia and the Hunter
• the process of making a cloak
• ethical issues of culling New Zealand possums
• practical demonstrations of using ochres and the burning tool
• discussion of appropriate themes and symbols
• skills practice with each students making a possum skin armband
• discussing and drawing designs for a possum skin
Each school group was allocated a pelt and selected a design, either as a collaborative
or competitive approach; most opted for the collaborative approach in the spirit of the
project. The design was finished at school and brought back to the gallery for either parents/
teachers or a member of the ARG to complete on the pelt.
The pelts were framed for exhibition with the finished cloak produced in the community
sessions. They are on permanent display at each of the participant schools.
The teachers and students enjoyed the workshops and the process of working together,
and embraced the opportunity to learn about their culture and cultural practice.
I just wanted to say thanks for today! It was a great workshop for the kids to
be involved in. They came back so excited and positive about their morning.
The other kids were very, very impressed with the armbands!
Helen Smart, Wallsend South Public School
An outstanding program – all students and parents were highly motivated.

They are proud to wear their skins (armbands) back to school.
Maria Lantz, Rathmines Public School
The students learnt a great amount of information including symbolism in art

and traditional Aboriginal design. Students thought it was brilliant. Instructors
were great, especially Uncle Doug, who taught the students a variety of skills
and techniques about art and the role of Aboriginal people in the community. It
was excellent and thoroughly enjoyable.
Tammy Gordon, Hunter School of Performing Arts

Making Possum Skin
Armbands
Armbands have been traditionally used in Aboriginal dance and for personal decoration
across eastern Australia.
This activity was developed to engage and educate school students through the
development of A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake and delivered by the artist and
project coordinator. Aboriginal students from 10 infants, primary and secondary schools
participated with enthusiasm and pride.
It is a good introductory activity to a community possum-skin cloak project and a great
way to teach Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students about Aboriginal culture and use of
symbols. As with the cloak itself, it was important for participants as a group to establish
the design rules and uses for the armbands. Participants used symbols and the cloak theme
to guide their designs (see symbols chart on page 35).
Armbands were cut from damaged sections or off-cuts from the cloak pelts.
Each participant was given an armband template to begin their design process.
These sections were about 4 x 12cm each.
Once the design was on the template, black or dark brown ink was used to represent the
burning process and acrylic paint was used to represent the ochre.
The finished designs were transferred to the skins lightly in pencil, with space left at each
end for the holes to be punched (for the straps) and to allow for shrinkage during the
burning process.
Doug helped with the burning process to ensure student safety. The application of ochre
was optional, as the smaller surface provides enough design detail. Ochres should only be
used on small sections as focal points.
Although the band can be worn on any part of the arm, most participants in our workshops
chose their wrist, and to wear the band fur side in. All students wore them with pride.

CROSS-CURRICULUM
LESSON SUGGESTIONS
The lesson suggestions below will guide you through ways of encompassing new, local
and relevant Aboriginal teaching in your classroom. They link to the exhibition A Possum
Skin Cloak by the Lake, but can also be taught in conjunction with the A Possum Skin
Cloak by the Lake Travelling Suitcase or in tandem with the online resources. Using these
suggestions, the teacher will be able to provide engaging Aboriginal education content
(as required by the Department of Education and Training) within established programs.
They are non-stage specific suggestions and can be modified to suit programming. More in-
depth stage-specific lessons have been prepared for the Travelling Suitcases.
HSIE – Aboriginal Studies

1. Students use visual literacy and the symbols chart (page 31) to complete the
narrative of a selected design from the Possum Skin Cloak (page 32). Also provide
an annotated drawing of the design. Continue the story to the next scene or
geographic area.
2. Students research the Hunter River Cloak in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington
USA (page 6) and note the information recorded by the curators of the museum.
Students write a report on their findings and focus on issues such as why is it
important that archaeologists/curators recorded the information about the cloak;
why are there only a small number of cloaks recorded.
3. Students could extend this activity by writing an essay based on the question of
‘tradition’ – is it still considered a traditional activity if the Aboriginal community has
learnt to recreate a traditional object, now only located in museums?
Each possum skin cloak was privately owned. At birth an individual was given a small
number of pelts sewn together to be used as a baby blanket, much like the sheepskin
blankets used today. The initial number of pelts would be added to by the owner or others
(depending on the situation and occasion) until it was made into a cloak. It was adorned with
designs and decorations expressing the individual and his/her place in society. The owner
always kept their cloak, using it for bedding, clothing in cooler seasons and finally
as burial attire.
4. Dawn Townsend’s design (pages 36 & 52) is about groundwater. Students research
and write a short essay about why locations of natural springs would be important
to Aboriginal people and how urbanisation affected groundwater and associated
springs.
5. Scott Luschwitz’s Firestick Farming (pages 38 & 52) depicts the local traditional
Aboriginal practice of firestick farming. Students use the design as a starting point for
a discussion about the use of firestick farming, brainstorming the possible reasons
for using this method of farming (focus questions around the ideas of growth,
germination and forced movement of animals).

Fire is a management tool widely used by Aboriginal people; the term ‘firestick farming’
is used to describe deliberate burning of areas of vegetation for specific purposes.
The concept of ‘firestick farming’ has been recognised by non–Aboriginals since 1969.
‘Fire was used seasonally to burn areas to encourage growth of food plants, and young
shoots. Many Australian plants require fire to stimulate flowering or for seed germination.
Some areas of land were burned with low intensity fire in alternating blocks over a number
of years, creating a mosaic of vegetation in various stages of growth. Controlled blazes
produced grassy landscapes which encouraged herbivores such as kangaroos which were
then hunted by Aboriginals.’
Online text, Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field (TaLe – teaching and learning exchange) Part 3 (Firestick farming)
6. Students complete the activity Sheets (pages 44-46).

7. Students complete the comprehension sheet on the possum skin cloak-making
process (page 50).
8. Students complete the comprehension sheet on the ethics of culling, hunting and
protecting possums (page 48).
RESOURCES
www.collections.si.edu/search/
Smithsonian institute
www.collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_
‘Australian Possum Skin Cloak’
ID:nmnhanthweb_8470030
Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field Part 3 Online text – (TaLe – teaching and learning exchange)
(Firestick farming) www.tale.edu.au
The Impact of Fire: A Historical Perspective; www.anpsa.org.au/APOL3/sep96-1.html

Australian plants online
Video – Our History, section on Firestick

www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/series/OURHISTORY.htm
farming, produced for the ABC network
DET video – On the case – farm case This should be a resource that most Department schools have;
studies, Agriculture 2 unit preliminary if not, contact the department in regards to obtaining a copy.
HSIE – Geography
1. Students identify and read about Selena Archibald’s Five Islands (pages 34 & 52).
Students then create their own topographic map of the Five Islands (use a street
directory or Yellow Pages as support documents) and complete the following:
• add appropriate contour lines
• create a cross section using the contour lines as a guide
• indicate true north
• grid up the topographic map and identify the longitude and latitude
• find a spot to hide treasure and record the location
• pass to another student to see if they can locate the treasure using the
coordinates

2. On the map of Five Islands, students draw several Aboriginal symbols indicating
possible indigenous animal habitats. They then create a legend of these animals
using the symbols chart (page 31), or Google Aboriginal symbols.
3. Students create their own map (to scale) identifying their journey from home to
school using the symbols chart (page 31). Students will then create a legend, ensure
the map is to scale, indicate true north and identify any natural landmarks. Students
are then encouraged to indicate on their map where they believe the animals would
have lived before development.
4. Students create a population pyramid using the statistical data found on possums
in Australia and New Zealand. These pyramids could be male/female (Australia/
New Zealand), culled/sited (New Zealand), known/captivity (Australia), population
(Australia/New Zealand).
5. Students complete the activity sheet (pages 44-46).
6. Students complete the comprehension sheet on the possum skin cloak process
(page 50).
protecting (page 48).
RESOURCES
Statistics on Humans and Lifestyle www.abs.gov.au
Possum Captures in Sydney www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/possumCaptures.htm
www.kcc.org.nz
Kiwi Conservation Club
www.kcc.org.nz/possums
Statistics NZ Home www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/sustainable_
development/sustainable-development/biodiversity.aspx
Article – ‘Fur flies: Cute doesn’t cut it for NZ www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755307.htm
possums’
Movie – ‘Australia Wild – Hello Possums’ www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1177703.htm
30 mins
TAS – Textiles
1. For decades the catwalks have been lined with models parading items inspired by
nature and animals – for instance feathers, animal prints, furs, etc. Using Australian
native animals as inspiration students create their own item of clothing or fashion
accessory.
2. Students will investigate the possum skin cloak-making techniques and compare
with how other fur coats are made.
3. Students will investigate Aboriginal jewellery making techniques and create their own
using an array of native materials, nuts, quills, feathers, etc. Students may also like
to look at other artists who use natural materials to make accessories.
4. Teachers provide a possum skin pelt and the students each make a modern
accessory with a small piece.

5. Using the possum skin cloak as inspiration, students are given a rectangular section
of fabric each, to apply a water-themed design to using any decoration methods
such as printing, appliqué, sewing, etc. Each student can use a different method
or combination of methods within a set colour range. The sections of fabric are
arranged by the class and then sewn together.
RESOURCES
Maria Fernanda Cardosa (Chilli/Australia) www.mariafernandacardoso.com
Paper bark women: Aboriginal and Torres

www.powerhousemuseum.com/hsc/paperbark/
Strait Islander fashion design
TAS – Cooking
1. Participants in A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake have come from all over the country,
as well as from the Hunter region. The cloak stories (page 33) reflect this.
Students imagine all of these people have travelled to Lake Macquarie for an
important ceremony – one in which the cloak will be used. Students create a
traditional Aboriginal menu complete with traditional ingredients to serve at this one-
day ceremony. Students are also encouraged to include food that requires traditional
cooking methods.
It is recorded that large numbers of people did travel to Wollombi (near Cessnock)
to take part in ceremonies. The exact number of people who attended, how often they
occurred and the length of each occasion are unknown, but evidence suggests many
attended, travelling weeks or longer to get there. Each ceremony was not a one-off but one
that was repeated and it has been suggested that the Awabakal people, as the closest to
the coast, would transport whole whales as food for the celebration.
2. Students study the possum skin cloak and identify traditional ingredients either
depicted or actually used to use to make a dish.
RESOURCES
Recipes www.thedillybag.com.au/Recipes.htm
www.benjaminchristie.com/blog/bush-tucker-meals-on-wheels/
Recipes
page7
Where to get bush tucker in Newcastle www.yarnteen.com.au/default.aspx?id=253
TAS – Industrial Arts

1. Students, using the burning tool (page 13), create a design to be burned either into a
tanned skin or timber object. This can be used as a decorative element in an existing
project or written into the program to include Aboriginal objects such as digging
sticks or a coolamon. Students can either investigate their own designs or use the
symbols on page 31 to tell a story of themselves or their place. (Note this activity
may be most suitable for Stages 4 and 5 Woodwork.)
2. Students could investigate local plants for resins suitable as a substitute for modern
varnishes or lacquers. The section of this kit about resins and ochres may assist
(page 14).

RESOURCES
Phenol-Formaldehyde Plywood Adhesive Journal of Wood Chemistry and Technology, Volume 16, Issue 1
Resins Prepared with Liquefied Bark of 1996 www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a7
Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) 91310989~frm=abslink
Acacia mearnsi, from Wikipedia www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_mearnsii
Australian Indigenous Tools and www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/indigenous/
Technology technology/
TAS – Marine Studies

Several A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake pelt designs and stories describe the uniqueness
of the local marine environment and the relationship between Aboriginal people and ‘water’
country.
1. Students read about each design (page 33) and discuss, as a class, what they
think about the local Aboriginal people’s relationship to ‘water’ country and the
marine life. Teachers may assign questions to particular pelts to encourage deeper
understanding and higher order thinking.
2. Students can then research examples of ownership and stewardship of marine
waterways, focusing on management practices of the past and present. (Note this
activity may best be suited to Stages 5 and 6.)
RESOURCES
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority website, for
www.gbrmpa.com.au
examples and case studies
Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field Part 3 (water Online text – (TaLe – teaching and learning exchange)
management) www.tale.edu.au
Movie – ‘Oondoorrd: Married Turtle’, produced by www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s3058445.
message stick for the ABC network htm
Video – ‘Our History, section on Fishing’, produced
for the ABC network. Looking at the methods
www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/series/OURHISTORY.htm
indigenous Australians used to catch fish with spears,
fish traps, hooks and nets.
‘Saltwater Yirrkala Bark Paintings of Sea Country’,
www.anmm.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1322
collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum
TAS – Agriculture
1. Students identify those designs on the possum skin cloak that depict different forms
of fish traps used by traditional Aboriginal people (see Doug Archibald’s Fishtraps
page 34 & 52). The designs are use as a starting point for a class discussion on
historical and modern farming techniques; in particular, aquaculture projects,
including intensive and extensive.
2. Students should research and analyse second hand data, on fish traps from the local
and wider region. (Note this activity may best be suited to Stages 4 and 5.)
There is evidence that Aboriginal people dammed watercourses to promote survival of

plants and preserve fish populations during dry periods. Young fish were sometimes carried
to these dams and released.

RESOURCES
Video – ‘Baiames Ngunnhu: Tthe
story of Brewarrina fish traps’, www.youtube.com
produced by the Department of Search Baiames Ngunnhu
Environment and Heritage (6 mins
20 secs)
Department of Sustainability, www.environment.gov.au/heritage/about/indigenous
Environment, Water, Population and www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/brewarrina/index.
Communities html
DET – On the case: Farm case
studies, Agriculture 2 unit preliminary This should be a resource that most ET schools have, if not contact
the department in regards to obtaining a copy.
Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field

Online text – (TaLe – teaching and learning exchange)
Part 3 (water management)
www.tale.edu.au
Video – ‘Our History, section on www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/series/OURHISTORY.htm

Fishing’, produced for the ABC This program looks at the methods indigenous Australians used to
network catch fish with spears, fish traps, hooks and nets.
Aboriginal stonefish traps; Our www.ccmaindig.info/heritage/SitesArtifacts_FishTraps.html
Precious Heritage.
3. Scott Luschwitz’s Firestick design (pages 38 & 52) depicts the local traditional
Aboriginal practice of firestick farming. Students use the design as a starting point
for a discussion about the use of fire stick farming, brainstorming the possible
reasons for using this method of farming (focus questions around the ideas of
growth, germination and forced movement of animals).
Fire is a management tool widely used by Aboriginal people; the term ‘firestick farming’
is used to describe deliberate burning of areas of vegetation for specific purposes. The
concept of ‘firestick farming’ has been recognised by non–Aboriginals since 1969.
‘Fire was used seasonally to burn areas to encourage growth of food plants, and young
shoots. Many Australian plants require fire to stimulate flowering or for seed germination.
Some areas of land were burned with low intensity fire in alternating blocks over a number
of years, creating a mosaic of vegetation in various stages of growth. Controlled blazes
produced grassy landscapes which encouraged herbivores such as kangaroos which were
then hunted by Aboriginals.’
Online text, Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field (TaLe – teaching and learning exchange) Part 3 (Firestick farming)
RESOURCES
Video – ‘Our History, section on
Firestick farming’, produced for the
ABC network www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/series/OURHISTORY.htm
DET video – On the case – farm

Note: This should be a resource DET schools have, if not contact the
case studies, Agriculture 2 unit
department in regards to obtaining a copy.
preliminary
Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field Online text –(TaLe – teaching and learning exchange)
Part 3 (Firestick farming) www.tale.edu.au
The Impact of Fire: A Historical www.anpsa.org.au/APOL3/sep96-1.html
Perspective; Australian plants online

Maths
1. Students will look at culling statistics for possums in New Zealand and determine
the ratio of culled to recorded population. Students could also look at population
numbers of kangaroos in Australia and their culling statistics to determine the ratios.
2. Students to complete a line and bar graph of the possum population in both
Australia and New Zealand.
RESOURCES
Kiwi Conservation Club www.kcc.org.nz/possums
www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/sustainable_
Statistics NZ Home
DECC Possum captures in Sydney www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/possumCaptures.htm
English
1. Students compose a poem or sonnet as if you are either a particular place, native
animal or plant that has been on that land for decades. The poem should describe
the changes that have occurred and what feelings they evoke.
2. Students imagine they are either a possum in Australia or New Zealand and write
a short letter to cousin possums in the other country describing what is happening
within the possum clan.
3. Students use visual literacy and the symbols chart (page 31) to complete the
narrative of a selected design from the possum skin cloak designs (page 33).
Also provide an annotated drawing of the design.
4. Students form two teams to debate the proposition ‘Possums – Cull or Protect’.
Students will also need to choose whether to argue from the point of view of New
Zealand or Australia.
5. Students imagine they are either a resident of rural New Zealand with possums
causing issues on the land or a suburban resident of Australian with many possums
in the roof – write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper.
6. Students complete the activity sheets (pages 44-46) containing a find-a-word,
crossword puzzle, cloze passage, multiple choice questions, glossary, word list –
match the meanings.
7. Students complete the comprehension sheet on the possum skin cloak-making
process (see page 50).
protecting (see page 48).
RESOURCES
Possum captures in Sydney www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/possumCaptures.htm
Kiwi Conservation Club www.kcc.org.nz/possums
www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/sustainable_
Statistics NZ Home
Article – ‘Fur flies: Cute doesn’t cut it www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755307.htm
for NZ possums’
Movie ‘Australia Wild – Hello www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1177703.htm
Possums’ 30mins

CAPA – Visual Arts
1. Students create their own lined topographic-style map using the symbols chart
(page 33) as a guide to plot their journey from home to school. On the map students
are to identify animals they either see along the way or those they think may have
been there before development. This activity could be linked to a printmaking unit
through converting it into a collagraph.
2. All of the designs in the possum skin cloak are based on water stories, both personal
and Dreamtime. Students create their own contemporary water-themed design
using some local symbols. The design should be annotated with the meaning of the
borrowed and personal symbols used, along with a short narrative.
Once all of the designs are completed, the class can discuss how they could be
assembled as one artwork. Consider both the aesthetics and the context of the
installation, and if the smaller works can be arranged to tell a bigger ‘water’ story.
3. Using the possum skin cloak as inspiration, students are given a rectangular section
of canvas or calico on which to apply a water-themed design using painting or
printmaking methods such as linocut or silkscreen printing. Each student can use a
different method or combination of methods within a set colour range. The sections
of fabric are arranged by the class and then sewn (or just pinned up) together.
RESOURCES
www.netsvictoria.org.au/vicky-couzens
Vicki Couzens www.netsvictoria.org.au/new-artistpage-10/
www.netsvictoria.org.au/learning-guides/
www.lindenarts.org/show/2010/0807/
ProppaNOW collective artists www.netsvictoria.org.au/jus-drawn-the-
proppanow-collective/
Maria Fernanda Cardosa’s (Chilli/Australia) www.mariafernandacardoso.com/
www.gabriellepizzi.com.au/old_exhibitions/07_
Lorraine Connelly Northy
lorraine_connelly.html
www.aidsquilt.org/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAMES_
Article on Cyclone Tracy 1974 – Aide Memorial Quilt
Project_AIDS_Memorial_Quilt
Peter Read, ‘Returning to nothing:
Cambridge University Press, Melbourne. 1996
The meaning of lost places’
‘Wrapped in a Possum Skin Cloak’ The Tooloyn Amanda Reynolds, National Museum of Australia
Koortakay Collection in the National Museum of Australia Press, 2005

CAPA – Drama
1. Students read the possum skin cloak stories (page 37) and choose one to create into
a performance.
2. Using as inspiration the fact that each possum skin cloak was essentially the story of
an individual’s life (page 7), students write a monologue of their own life and deliver it
to the class using a cloak or jacket as a prop.
RESOURCES
collections.si.edu/search/
Smithsonian institute
www.collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_
‘Australian Possum Skin Cloak’
ID:nmnhanthweb_8470030
Life Skills
Students:
1. Identify animals and plants on the pelts.
2. Identify the way traditional Aboriginal people used hunting and gathering techniques.
3. By using the Travelling Suitcases, can have the chance to feel the pelts and gain
tactile information and identify different techniques used in the cloak-making process
i.e. burning, sewing pelts together, etc.
4. Identify areas which have had ochres applied and areas of the pelts that have been
burnt.
5. Identify the different coloured ochres used and link them to male and female colours.
6. Briefly describe the general processes involved in making a possum skin cloak.
7. Outline the purpose of making a possum skin cloak.
ICT
1. Create a Powerpoint presentation on the process, history and ethics of the possum
skin cloak.
2. Complete activities and games on the website – www.kcc.org.nz/possums.

SYMBOLS chart
Symbol Meaning Symbol Meaning
water possum tracks
women sitting water holes
men sitting rainbow
rain swirling water
coolamons camp ground
stars or moon frog tracks
emu tracks spinifex
kangaroo tracks sand
This chart represents selected used on the cloak made for ‘A Possum Skin
Cloak by the Lake’

THE TRAVELLING SUITCASES
A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake Travelling Suitcases were designed for use by schools
and community groups. One is available through Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and the
other through Toronto Library. They both comprise the following:
• Two pelts clearly demonstrating the process of designing, burning, painting and
sewing the cloak
• Examples of a finished armband
• Examples of ochre in its natural form and then mixed as a paintable liquid, and
native tree resin in its natural state
• An introduction and history of possum skin cloaks
• Class activities for different curriculum areas and stages along with worksheets
and a related board game
• A DVD made in collaboration with ABC Open by the community
• A copy of this Education Kit
• A copy of ‘Wrapped in a Possum Skin Cloak’ The Tooloyn Koortakay Collection in
the National Museum of Australia, Amanda Reynolds, National Museum of Australia
Press, 2005
For bookings contact either:

Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery Toronto Library
Visitor Services Kath McNaughton
T: (02) 4965 8260 T: (02) 4959 2077
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
NOTE: Loan times are limited to one week for each booking

THE CLOAK STORIES
The cloak was made by many members of the community, and many of them attended in
family groups. The stories below have been set out in family groups and each is numbered
to indicate its place in the finished cloak (page 20 & 21).
Douglas Archibald
Biami: Biame is one of the great Goori ancestral beings of the Creation period.
He features in many eastern Australian Aboriginal dances, song, art, oral
histories and Dreaming sites.
During creation, he moved across the land helping develop the landscape and
giving life and law to the people. When his journey was complete he returned
to the sky but appears from time-to-time to remind people of the law. Mt
Yengo, south west of Wollombi, is one of the sites from which he ascended
back to the sky. On the cloak he appears on the collar, with his arms and
hands outstretched embracing the design and stories of the cloak with Big
Yengo and Little Yengo in the background.
Mullong-bula: This design represents the Awabakal story of the two Petrified
Women at Swansea Heads. The original story is not fully known but it is said
that they were petrified in recognition of an injustice against them. Traditionally
their role was as guardians of the local people. 23
Toe KurraKurrarn: This design depicts the Awabakal story of the Petrified
Forest (‘KurraKurrarn’) under the high tide mark at Blackalls Park. According to
local stories, a giant, angry iguana dropped a huge rock from the sky and killed
a number of local people assembled there. It is said this act was a punishment
to the people for killing and roasting lice on their fires. 24
Kkauwal-lag Moanee Koba Whibay-gamba (Kangaroo of Nobbys
Island): This design tells an Awabakal story about social control, ethics and
the environment. The story is about a kangaroo couldn’t control his desires
and attacked a female wallaby. As retribution, he was chased by an angry
wallaby clan into the sea and onto the (then) island. He was presumed
drowned, but it is said that he was entombed inside Nobbys and sometimes
jumps around in his prison with frustration causing earthquakes. 14
The Monster of Pulbah Island: This design depicts the monster that lives in a
deep lair near Pulbah Island also known as ‘Boroyirong’. Local people believed if
they went too close to the island their canoes would be attacked and overturned
and the occupants would be eaten by the monster ‘Wau-Wai’. 33
The Monster in Bottomless Freeman’s Waterhole: This design depicts the
monster fish that resides at the bottomless freshwater hole know as Freeman’s
Waterhole. The story tells of this monster that roamed swamps in the area and
sporadically killed local Aboriginal people. 34

The Platypus: This design represents an Awabakal story about the
importance of moral discipline. It tells of a black duck that always went to
the lagoon alone, even though she was told not to by elders. One day a rat
saw her by herself and attacked her but the duck didn’t tell anyone about
the attack. Eventually she laid an egg but when it hatched all the ducks were
surprised as it had a duck’s bill and webbed feet, but also furry body of a rat.
It is said that this is the reason the platypus lays an egg (like a duck) and then
suckles its young (like a rat). 13
Mangroves: This design represents all the mangroves which once surrounded
the lake. Mangroves are a vital breeding ground and nursery habitat for many
marine and terrestrial species. However, they are one of the first things to be
removed to make way for the reclaimed land and views demanded of water-
front urbanisation. 19
Fish traps: This design depicts the fish and eel traps which were used as
traditional methods for harvesting food by both men and women, whereas the
multi-pronged spear was used only by men and hook and line only by women. 37
Birds: This pelt depicts the birds that live on and around the shoreline of Lake
Macquarie. They are often seen feeding on the flats at low tide. 38
Dilly Bags: This design depicts dilly bags that were essential in traditional life
for the collection of food and other materials by women. They were generally
woven from plant fibres. 4
Middens: This design depicts one of the many middens that can be found
along river, lake or ocean shores. They indicate that a campsite is nearby as
they were used for the refuse of shells and other food scraps. As seasonal
hunters, groups would travel far but always come back to the same middens
over many years. 3
Selena Archibald
Tittalik: This design focuses on the local story of Tittalik and the creation of
the Hunter River. The story starts in Wollombi when there was no rain and
water had to be sourced from springs and groundwater. Tittalik, a selfish frog,
drank all the water so there was none left for the other animals. They decided
to make him laugh so he would let go of all the water. They tried one at a time
and failed. Then the platypus tried to climb the hill to Tittalik but kept falling
down. The kookaburra burst out laughing at this sight and then all the animals,
including Tittalik, started laughing … and the water began to flow from Tittalik’s
mouth, symbolising the beginning of the Hunter River. All the animals came
down to the shores of the river to quench their thirst. 17
Five Islands: The ‘Five Island Clan’ was a clan that lived on the northern end
of Lake Macquarie, stretching to Mount Sugarloaf. The Five Islands were the
clan’s main hunting and fishing grounds, from which they gathered shellfish,
fish and other aquatic species. 25

Trevor Archibald
Namoi River: This design reflects on the artist’s youth around the Namoi
River in the Gwydir Valley, where many a Christmas was spent fishing and
swimming. There are fish in the river the family used to catch and the swirls
represent whirlpools and the dots members of the family swimming. 9
Sue Archibald
Mud Crab: This design tells the story of a young girl who went fishing with her
family on the southern point of the second island of the Five Islands (Teralba).
Using a handline she landed a beautiful big mud crab. Her family asked her to
unhook the crab, but she was so scared she dragged the crab across a busy
road to the family home. When her father finally unhooked the crab, the poor
thing had missing limbs. 29
Amy Buesnel
Jerry-Ray: This design depicts a childhood memory about a family fishing day
on the lake. As they were sitting in their boat, one of them got a bite and it was
a stingray. While the father was really excited and stared to reel it in, the uncle
was really ‘freaked’ and kept saying, ‘Watch his barb! Watch his barb, Johnny!’
The serious manner in which the uncle relayed this message was very funny
and everyone broke out into laughter. After that the ray was called ‘Jerry-ray’,
and was let go to swim off as an unforgettable memory. 42
Gary Biles
Ceremonial Circle: This design depicts a ceremonial circle in the artist’s
home country surrounded by dry weather ground. There are animals and
animal tracks leading to the water where they are then trapped and hunted. 16
Donna Fernando
Coolamons: This design focuses around the idea that water provides life,
especially through the process of giving birth and the breaking of ‘waters’ –
reinforcing the idea that the mother is the bringer of life through birth. The large
central coolamon symbolises the mother, while the two smaller coolamons
are representative of two daughters and the shield-shaped coolamon, the
son. The design is symbolic of life and family; the water motif surrounding the
coolamons representing the water within the womb. 27
Water Womb: This design conveys the idea of the link between water and the
womb – new beginnings and connections between life and the spirit pool. 20

Laura Fernando
The Storm: This design describes a nice sunny day which turns into a stormy
and rainy day. The sun is represented in the top right corner. All the animals got
wet, so the platypus and the snake went into the river to get out of the rain,
and all the other animals found places to find shelter. After the rain stopped,
the sun came back out, and two rainbows appeared in the sky. 32
Brittany and Indianna Biles

Shells: This design depicts a collection of shells that may be found by the
lake‘s edge. It also conveys the movement of the water and waves, which
move the shells to the shore. 44
Bud Gibson
Creation Story of the Brewarrina Fisheries: This design depicts a
Dreaming story of when Biame and his four dogs created the four smaller
rivers and the fisheries in Brewarrina. His footprints represent where he left
his mark on the land. Also represented in the design is swirling water and the
community that benefited from this creation. The man and woman represent
the people who were a part of this Dreaming and were entrusted with the
raking care of the fisheries land. The two suns represent the coming and going
of god from the sky. 12
Dawn Townsend
Groundwater: This design pays respect to the significance of ground water
in the lives of Aboriginal people, particularly those living on a salt water lake.
Groundwater seeps through the earth via sandstone ‘filters’. The water
collected can be millions of year old, but it still finds its way back to the
surface as fresh water springs which are vital for life as drinking water and for
ceremony. It is said that many of the groundwater systems are linked to one
another across the land and across Aboriginal nations, thus linking the people.
They are looked after as traditional sites, however, mining activity is disturbing
the systems, and as a result the springs are drying up. 6

Cherie Johnson
Reeds: This design depicts the wetland reeds that are vital to the purity of the
water and are integral in traditional Aboriginal society for weaving. 35
Places I Lived: This design features the lake as the central motif, with
Swansea Heads on the right. Each campsite depicted represents a location in
which the artist lived throughout her life. The campsites form epicentres, linking
the pelt and stages in the artist’s life together. 21
Who I am: This design is about identity inspired by the magnification of an
onion layer. It shows a section of hundreds of cells bunched together to create
one organism; much like the Aboriginal community when they are together, as
the artist says “Singularly we don’t have much impact whereas together we are
powerful, complex and bold”. 15
Fred Goolmeer
Mooloo’s Learning: This design depicts the story of whale migration. The
story tells of the moon lighting a path on the ocean as Poohau leds Deena
and little Mooloo south to the cold water to feed and grow. Poohau and Deena
are singing songs of love and old times. Poohau has a scar on his side, and he
sings of how he was slashed by a thrasher shark’s tail, and how he escaped
by diving deep. He also sings to Mooloo about how far they have ot go to
get to the nice cold waters. There is great joy in their hearts as they swim on
through the night, towards the full moon and stars. 10
Neil Goolmeer
Yabbie: This design conveys fond memories of harvesting and eating yabbies
from the creeks surrounding Lake Macquarie as a youth. 45
Teagan Goolmeer
Turtle: This design depicts the green turtle, which lives in Lake Macquarie.
Marine turtles provide a vital food source for traditional Aboriginal people; both
their eggs and flesh are eaten. Traditionally Aboriginal people used the stars
to determine the breeding seasons of marine turtles, which helped sustain the
populations of the now endangered species. 7

Louise Charles
Prawning: This design tells the story of vivid and fond memories of a father
collecting prawns from the lake and bringing them home to eat, reinforcing the
fact that prawns have been a good source of food for many years. 11
Stoney Creek: This design depicts one of many creeks and waterways that
lead into Lake Macquarie. The artist remembers spending many years of her
childhood playing in and around Stoney Creek. 31
Scott Luschwitz
Southern Cross: This design depicts the Southern Cross constellation as an
important tool for navigating as well as for spiritual inspiration. It is a significant
symbol for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. The constellation
is intertwined with branches searching for water (or knowledge and wisdom)
symbolising the artist’s journey through life. 22
Firestick Farming: This pelt depicts the traditional use of firestick farming,
by men as a means of renewing the environment and encouraging growth
and germination. It was also a hunting technique – spot burning was used
to smoke animals out and it also encouraged regrowth and feeding grounds.
The seasonal use of firestick farming was effective and a great example of
cultivation before European settlement. 30
Dianne Luschwitz
Yunug or Koe-too-marnghgirartee-mulleekoebamaro: In this design the
turtle is looking to feed on the bush onions surrounding it. 46
Maiyangirartee-mulleekoetatankoekung a koli: In this design, the snakes
are feeding on the frogs which are moving between waterholes. 1

Sonya ErSKine
The Dancing Ceremony: This design depicts a seasonal dance ceremony.
The stars dictate the formation and timing for the ceremony – the best time for
full release from the shackles that bind the people. The light of the sun allows
all to shine to their fullest potential, while the elders overlook and support the
ceremony. The direction of the dance is represented by the tracks leading
into the circle to the fire – the symbol for all to return to the mother earth. The
windbreak represents a change of direction while the tracks out of the circle
represent the dancers emerging into to a revitalised life – flying like birds on
their new journey. 39
The Rain Story: This design depicts frogs coming out through the rainy
season – a resounding orchestra that washes away the old and nurtures the
earth. 8
Sue Stewart
When the Moon Cried: This design tells the Awabakal story of the formation
of Belmont Lagoon. The story begins with the idea that whenever the moon
was present in the sky, the local people were sad and inactive. Only when the
sun passed through the sky, were the people happy and active. This made
the moon very depressed, so he decided to go away for a long time. While
he was away he cried and cried, forming Belmont Lagoon. Belmont Lagoon
became an important meeting place for both Awabakal people and animals.
Ceremonies were held during times of the full moon, making the moon and
the people happy. 36
Elizabeth Deaves
Sand: This design depicts the movement of water around the lake and the
impressions it leaves on the surrounding sands. 28
Rocky Bottom Crossing, Cooranbong: This design tells the story of
Cooranbong and its rich history as a meeting place, symbolised by the central
symbol of the campsite with the many paths leading from other communities
to the ‘meeting place’. This area was not only used for corroborees and as
hunting grounds, but also as a battleground, therefore weapons, tools and
shields are scattered throughout the design. At the bottom of the
design is a shield recognised by European settlers as having significant
similarities with the Union Jack, and at the top of the design mountains and
trees represent the Watagan Mountain Range. 48

India Latimore
Water: This design depicts a story from the Worimi region and conveys the
idea that water brings all living organisms together. The river is the focus of
this pelt, with animals and people interacting with the river and its surrounds
– women are around a campfire near the river, symbolising a ‘meeting place’.
Animal tracks represent all the different species that come together around the
river, while the fish play a significant role in this design as they represent the
artist’s family ties with the river, acting as a medium through which the family is
held together. The elements of the weather dominate life and the earth and are
depicted as wind and rain at the top of the design. 18
Kash Latimore
Water Animals and Fish: The artist’s family are traditional owners from Myall
Lake and his second name is ‘mungo’, which means ‘Myall Lake camp’.
This design depicts the fish and water animals found in the lake that have
significant meaning to the artist. 2
Simone Place
The Water Hole: One side of this design depicts the artist’s Worimi tribe
collecting water from the waterhole and having a dance party, listening to the
music of the frogs. On the other it is raining heavily and the kangaroos are at
the waterhole drinking. 5
Adam Ridgeway
Goo-jeeikkoo: This design illustrates the importance and influence of water
upon the individual and community. Regardless of how removed from ‘home’
it’s the power of water and family that draws the individual and community
back together. This pull is depicted by specific shorelines of Lake Macquarie.
The headlands are burnt; to highlight the pull towards the water, forming
directional arrows. The tracks symbolise the paths made to and from the lake’
memories of the influence of the water pulling the people together. 26

Sharon Carrette
Life Journey: This design symbolises the artist’s significant connections with
both the goanna and water through a journey. The story starts by the water
and winds it way back to the water with a central motif of ‘home’ demarcating
the two water environments. The second part of the journey is depicted by
the goanna tracks leading to the mountain range and river. Many animals are
gathering in this design including a wombat that stopped to be patted by the
artist’s two-year old son. 41
Alex, Lachlan, Sophie Brennan

Shells: This design depicts the lake and the shells surrounding the water’s
edge. The family often collect shells and take them home, sometimes labelling
them. The water animals surrounding the water represent the extended family
– parents, brothers and sisters. 47
Christine Everrit
Turtle: This design depicts the sea turtle as a central motif, symbolising how
the artist feels about traditional Aboriginal culture because it is classified as
endangered – the artist has witnessed aspects of Aboriginal cultural slipping
away. The hope lays in the longevity of the turtle’s life span; in the same
way, the artist hopes that traditional culture will be carried on for many future
generations. 40
TAMARA Drylie
Coming Together: This design depicts animals and people walking in to the
corroboree - dancing up the spirits. There are men’s and women’s meeting
places, and a place for Elders to oversee the camping grounds on one side
of the design and waterholes on the other. It is a story of people coming
together for celebration. 43

SCHOOL PELT STORIES
Booragul Public School

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and parents of Booragul
Public School were thrilled to have the opportunity to collaboratively design
and decorate a possum skin using traditional methods. Lake Macquarie is
a significant part of their location and culture, and to the Awabakal people,
and as such, is centrally positioned in the design. The reeds, bushland, men’s
corroboree, women’s campsites and tracks (both human and animal) indicate
the richness of culture and diversity of wildlife in the surrounding area.
Dungog High School

This design represents the local Wonnaruah and Worimi areas. Dungog High
School is a central meeting place where students and families from a wide
area travel each day. They are from Seaham, Glen William, Stroud, Clarence
Town, Martins Creek, Paterson, Booral, Vacy, Glen Martin, Stroud, Gresford
and surrounding areas. The snake in the design forms the surrounding
mountains from which the river flows. Many of the local animals and fish
are depicted as the river is rich with fish, platypus and long-necked turtles,
while there are still many kangaroos, wallabies and goannas inhabiting the
mountain and forest areas.
Hinton Public School

This design is entitled Crane Dreaming and depicts a good place with good
spirits, rich with bush food and plenty of water. The crane always returns
each season and its free spirit is captured in this women’s dreaming.
Hunter School of
Performing Arts
This design represents what the school means to the students. In the centre
of the design is the school’s Aboriginal dance group’s symbol. The group is
called Millabah which is an Awabakal work for ‘Place of Fun’. They believe
their school is a place where they can enjoy themselves, have fun and
express themselves. The stars on the design represent the most important
aspect – all students are accepted by peers and teachers for who they are
and are therefore able to shine. Each of the smaller symbols represent each
of the students that attended the workshop.

Rathmines Public School
This design depicts a series of waterholes and the abundance of wildlife that
exists around them.
St Benedict’s Catholic
Primary School
This design represents the creek at the back of the school. The playground
is shown with the children’s footprints and the animal tracks symbolising the
many different animals seen around the area of the school.
Tomaree High School

This design depicts the story of Port Stephens. The two Mountains that form
the heads to the Bay – Yacaaba and Tomaree – symbolise a meeting pace –
a place where the river meets the ocean. The meeting place is surrounded by
bush and kangaroos are found everywhere from the golf course to suburban
streets. The sun is an important element as the region is a popular travel
destination for many tourists.
Wallsend South Public School

Aboriginal students at Wallsend South Public School have come from many
different nations. Their story proudly celebrates where they come from and
where they now live – it is a travelling story. They have used water as the
theme of their design. A large body of water centrally placed represents Lake
Macquarie or the ocean – where they now live. The water is surrounded by
personal stories from each student – telling of their ‘country’. The stories are
linked to the water by many footprints, symbolising travel to a new place and
the need for water by all communities. The possum tracks, boomerangs,
snakes and bush fruits indicate the foods able to be collected in some of the
student’s home countries.
Whitebridge High School

This design is a combination of all of the motifs on the students’ armbands
made during the workshop. Thematically they all link to the water and reflect
each student’s interpretation of his/her relationship to the water and the
school’s proximity to the ocean, lake and also Belmont Lagoon, a significant
Awabakal site.

ACTIVITY SHEET
A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

1. Match the following words with a line to the correct sentences by drawing a line
between them.
• Possums eat fur

• Possums live in claws
• A possum has fruit
• Possums have trees
2. Let’s practise our writing by tracing over the letters below.

Find-a-Word
3. Find the words listed below in the matrix. The words may be found either forwards,
backwards or diagonally.
d b r l t r e n t n g c n s x i
x a n a d d e n o s i o p m m n
k b u p r o t e c t i n g i m i
d u a t u h e r i t a g e t i t
i n t m i p t r u n b n p h u p
m d a u g l e b e e a v o s a c
k a o l c n i k s m u s s o p u
t n o a a r c t u n c s s n d l
c c e h t e i h a o o r u i e l
n e l s c s z o o r o o m a t i
i a i i s o a w a i i t s n r n
t d h g n i t s e v r a h m o g
x a u u d e r e g n a d n e p i
e i n t r o d u c e d e t o m p
u l a b d a r a u s t r a l i a
o c h r e e s x e g l p a s r d
abundance harvesting poisoned

Australia heritage possum skin cloak
culling humane possums
distribution imported predators
endangered introduced protecting
environment New Zealand Smithsonian
extinct ochre utilitarian

Crossword
4. By using the glossary, complete the following crossword
1 2 3 4
6 7 8
10
11
12
13
ACROSS DOWN
2. It could kill you if you were 1. The term used when you do
smaller or weaker. something to lower the number
of animals in an area.
3. A native animal in Australia.
2. What you do when gathering
5. A rock found in the ground that food from the field
Aboriginal people used as paint
3. Because Australian possums are
6. Means it can be used, mostly is .......... they are protected.
everyday tasks.
4. When you bring something in
7. When there are no species of from one country to another.
animal or plant left.
8. When there is a of something
10. To move something around
among people or places.
12. What Aboriginal people wore in
this region when it was cold .

GLOSSARY
Abundance A great amount.
Aquaculture The farming of aquatic organisms in controlled environments.
Culling To select, choose or kill an animal from a group in an area.
Distribution The delivery or giving out of an item or items to the intended

recipients, as mail or newspapers.
Endangered In danger; used especially of animals in danger of extinction, e.g.

the giant panda is an endangered species.
Extinct Having died out; quenched.
Firestick farming The use of fire in a controlled manner to promote growth and
movement of organisms in terrestrial environments.
Harvesting Gathering in grain, gathering crops.
Humane Characterised by tenderness, compassion and sympathy for people

and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed, e.g. humane
treatment of horses.
Imported To bring in, e.g. Australia imports goods from other countries.
Ochre A coloured rock from the earth that Aborigines would grind down and
add to water to create a paint. (Ochre: Various natural earths used as
yellows, brown or red pigments.)
Pigment Colouring matter in paint.
Poisoned A substance harmful or fatal to a living organism.
Possums A protected native animal in Australia.
Predators (Zoology) Any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms.
Resin General term for brittle glassy, thickened juices exuded by certain
plants.
Utilitarian Designed for use rather than beauty, often for everyday use.
Definitions from Collins English Dictionary and http://dictionary.reference.com

COMPREHENSION:
ETHICS OF USING POSSUM SKINS

Traditionally possums were used by Aboriginal people as both a food source
and as resource material for clothing, ceremonies and possibly even games.
However, today in most areas of Australia, possum species are protected under the
provision of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. The NSW Office for the Environment
and Heritage has identified several species as having suffered a significant decline in
abundance and distribution, while many species have been identified as endangered or
threatened. In Australia a permit is required in most states to trap and relocate possums
under strict regulations. Only in extreme conditions is an additional destruction permit able
to be obtained from The NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage.
All the possum skins used in A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake were imported from New
Zealand, where the possum is classified as a pest. They were first introduced from Australia
in 1837 to start the fur industry, but now there are an estimated 63 million possums there.
This is most likely due to the fact that there are no natural predators to control the increasing
populations, which are causing severe environmental degradation
and endangering native animals and plants. In addition, they are contributing to an
estimated $15 million per annum in loss in primary production as they have been recognised
as major carriers of disease.
The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals and many other
organisations regulate the culling of possums and overall treatment of the animal. Basically
Bush Ltd, the New Zealand supplier of the pelts for this project, use trapping as the most
humane method of culling the species. The use of commercial harvesting to control the size
and distribution of the possum population in New Zealand is economically, environmentally
and socially sound, placing a commercial value on the introduced species.
In addition, the import of possum skins from New Zealand enables the Aboriginal
community to revive a significant cultural tradition without endangering local possum
species any further.

1. Why are possums protected here in Australia?
2. When and why were possums introduced in New Zealand?
3. Why are they seen to be such pests in New Zealand?
4. Why doesn’t Australia have the same problem?
5. Where did the gallery get their possum skins from?
6. Do you think the control methods used for populations of possums in

New Zealand are humane?


COMPREHENSION:
Making a Possum Skin Cloak

A Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake is an Aboriginal cultural revival project. For various
reasons, some aspects of Aboriginal cultural has almost been lost to the people. It is
important for Aboriginal people to know and learn about their culture through story telling,
education and projects such as making a possum skin cloak.
The first thing that needs to be considered when creating a possum skin cloak is the
overall theme as well as the style of design. Traditional symbols can be used as a way of
interpreting stories within the cloak. This way the cloak doesn’t look just like a patchwork
quilt, but tells one big story through many smaller ones.
Once the general theme for the cloak is established, the artist needs to work out and
refine a design on paper. The possum skin pelts also need to be cut to size (i.e. trim off the
tail, head, leg sections, etc). Possum skin pelts can be bought through suppliers in New
Zealand, where they are culled as a pest.
The artist can then use a light pencil to transfer the drawn design onto the pelt as a guide.
The pelt is now ready for burning with a standard burning tool. The tool is used to burn the
outline of the design onto the skin, but also cross-hatching and patterns can be used for
increased effect.
Extreme care must be taken while burning to ensure there are no injuries caused to the artist
or those close by. It is recommended that the artist practise the techniques on scraps of pelt
before burning on the final pelt. At this stage, it is important to realise that the more burning
incorporated into the design, the more shrinkage will occur on the pelt.
After the burning process is completed, ochres can now be applied to a few areas to make
them stand out. Finally use some waxed saddle twine to sew each pelt together using a
blanket stitch.

1. List the steps you would need to take to make the a possum skin cloak
2. List the things you would need to make a possum skin cloak
3. What is one safety consideration when making the cloak? (There are three)
4. Why is the design process critical in creating a possum skin cloak?
5. What is the cultural value of making a possum skin cloak?


37 6
30 25

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a Possum Skin Cloak

Publication prepared by Teagan Goolmeer and Cherie Johnson

© Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and all contributors

2 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 3

4 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

Debbie Abraham Del Abbot

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 5

6 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 7

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 9

10 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 11

12 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

Week 3 (13 November)

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 13

Week 4 (20 November)

14 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

Week 6 (3 & 4 December)

Week 7 (12 December)

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 15

Week 9 (12–16 January)

16 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

18 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An outstanding program – all students and parents were highly motivated.

The students learnt a great amount of information including symbolism in art

20 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 21

HSIE – Aboriginal Studies

22 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

6. Students complete the activity Sheets (pages 44-46).

The Impact of Fire: A Historical Perspective; www.anpsa.org.au/APOL3/sep96-1.html

Video – Our History, section on Firestick

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 23

24 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

Maria Fernanda Cardosa (Chilli/Australia) www.mariafernandacardoso.com

Paper bark women: Aboriginal and Torres

TAS – Industrial Arts

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 25

TAS – Marine Studies

There is evidence that Aboriginal people dammed watercourses to promote survival of

26 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

Preliminary Agriculture: It’s a big field

Video – ‘Our History, section on www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/series/OURHISTORY.htm

DET video – On the case – farm

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 27

28 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 29

30 a Possum Skin Cloak by the Lake

water possum tracks

women sitting water holes

men sitting rainbow

rain swirling water

coolamons camp ground

stars or moon frog tracks

emu tracks spinifex

kangaroo tracks sand

An Aboriginal Cultural Revival Project 31

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