Showing stories: ancestral narratives in the artistic practice of north-central Arnhem Land

This project will document endangered multilingual practices relating to the traditional and emerging artistic endeavours of the Maningrida region (Arnhem Land, Australia). Key genres of the project corpus are: (i) traditional narratives about ancestral beings, country and clan, represented in bark painting, sculpture, weaving and fabric printing; (ii) procedural texts explaining methods/materials behind artistic production; and (iii) natural conversation. Recordings will made in endangered languages of the region, specifically Ndjébbana, Gurr-goni, Na-kara and Rembarrnga. The project will prioritise community collaboration and capacity building, and provide a significant record of important local artistic and language knowledge.