Boorai - The Children's Art Gallery

Yawkyawks: Indigenous Spiritual beings from Freshwater Streams
An exhibition...

Yawkyawks was inspired by an exhibition of Indigenous work at the Chapman and Bailey Gallery called Weaving Around the Traps: An Underwater Spirit World. Created by Indigenous artists from the Maningrida community, the exhibition inspired an investigation into Indigenous patterns and natural earth colours, resulting in the creation of mermaids, snakes and fish, using printed patterns.

'Yawkyawk' comes from the Australian Aboriginal Kunwinjku/Kunwok language, meaning 'young woman' and 'young woman spirit being'. The mythical Yawkyawks are traditional spiritual mermaid-like creatures that exist in freshwater streams. These water spirits have tails like fish and long hair representing trailing blooms of algae.

Gallery:

Alex 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Basile 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Cynthia 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Dervla 4-5 yrs Mermaid
Josie 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Unknown 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Eli 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Emma 4-5 yrs Mermaid
Evie 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Harrison 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Jasper 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Jonty 4-5 yrs Mermaid
Vu 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Lachlan 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Ned 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Marrian 4-5 yrs Mermaid
Oliver 4-5 yrs Mermaid	Valentina 4-5 yrs Mermaid

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