NORTH QUEENSLAND SHIELD DESIGNS
These works pay tribute to the Bama warriors of the North Queensland rainforests in the Atherton Tableland region. These warriors fought valiantly over many generations to defend their ancestral lands from frontier expansion. The geometrical designs in the work reference the traditional painted shields unique to the region. These shields were not only objects of defence but also symbols of identity and conveyors of cultural knowledge and place. 

Shield designs are my way of connecting to my culture and have been an abiding research interest of mine for over 25 years. Shields were and still are an important part of North Queensland heritage and culture. My shield designs are presented as a stark reminder of truth, frontier resistance and the aftermath of cultural identity stripped bare.
            
PINHOLES
I have used pinholes to highlight the bloody intersection of two cultures. They symbolise the many rainforest shields punctured with bullet holes during these frontier conflicts. As Christie Palmerston, an explorer at the time so chillingly wrote:
"Their shields may answer very well for the purposes of their wars, but my rifle drilled through these as if they were sheets of paper."
          

WARRIORS 
These historical figures were garnered and embellished from the artist’s research into frontier conflict in Queensland. They are seen brandishing shields and spears in acts of resistance and defiance.  

CAMOUFLAGE & TARGETS 
The overlaying elements suggest defence and disguise- as a form of cultural identity- that has become a mode of survival.  Camouflage remains a bold icon of modern war and one that also relates to the (documented and un-recorded) conflicts, dispersals and dispossession waged on Aboriginal people by colonial expansion since 1788.  Conflated with the image of a target, these combine to take aim at historical and contemporary perceptions of these injustices. As we stand our ground, this piece asks broader society to lift their gaze, look through the camouflage and remove this target from the hearts and minds of Aboriginal people. 

IRVINE BANK MASSACRE 2005
Shield were used by Aboriginal people in Far North Queensland to ward off the intuder, enemy and invaders of the land. Shields were used as amour, weapon, cover and to safeguard in battle. The Aboriginal peoples of North Queensland, in a reponse to the invasion of thier land, chose the shield as a symblic repesentation of resistance. And because of the distinctive nature of North Queensland shields. Shields were shown to be no protection from the guns and bullets that were used against Aboriginal people.

The shield project traces my own connections to this country and maps a history of conflict in the region over time. Sewing was one avenue by which I could fuse past experiences and skills as a costume designer into the act of making. It was a meaningful way to connect myself to the turbulent history of this country and my people. At the same time the work articulates an intense sense of disconnection that I have personally experienced being born ‘out of country’ and the affect that displacement has had on all Aboriginal people.

The work reflects my own personal prespectives concerning what might be a fitting memorial for the people of Far North Queensland. Articulated through this work is a firm connection to the land and culture, which remains the primary inspiration for many Urban Indigenous artists today.

Courtesy of the Artist