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The mural begins before the previous image. This section depicts Aboriginal life prior to colonisation.   The representations of probably symbolise the ancestry, totems and kinship underpinning Aboriginal law. The dotted line interspersed with circles is continuous and represents the continuity culture .  The Emu here would be a symbol of the ‘Dark Emu’ in Aboriginal astronomy, which is tied to lore of ancestral spirits who walk(ed) on country.  Both the emu and kangaroo are important Aboriginal totems across the Australian continent (Fuller, Anderson & Norris, 2014)

Fuller, R.S., Anderson, M.G., Norris R.P. & Trudgett, M. (2014).  The Emu Sky Knowledge of the Kamalaroi and Euahalayi Peoples. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 17(2), pp.1-13.

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Acknowledgment of Country, Gadigal custodians, and Ancestors and Elders.

The dotted line that runs across this art-work can represent the travels of the ancestors and/or the interconnection between kinsfolk and the places they belong.  Circles in can represent campsites, water holes and/or places of ancestral or ceremonial relevance. In general, it can be read as a connection between places, between kinsfolk, and between now and ancestral dreaming (Morphy, 1998).

The white cockatoos probably signify traditional astronomy. A story from Kamilaroi Country (north-western NSW)  tells of a man who obeyed the Law when his companions broke it. The man later died, and a spirit placed his body in a hollow tree and lifted it to the stars, followed by two cockatoos who were disturbed from their roost.  The ‘tree constellation’ includes the Southern Cross, and the cockatoos are the two stars, Alpha and Beta Centauri (Fuller, Norris & Trudgett, 2014).

Fuller, R.S., Norris, R.P. & Trudgett, M. (2014). The astronomy of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi peoples and their neighbours. Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2014(2), pp.3-27.

Morphy, H. (1998). Aboriginal Art. London: Phaidon Press.

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Arriving at Redfern, one is immediately reminded by this flag that these are Aboriginal lands.

The flag was designed by artist, Harold Thomas, of Luritja and Wombai parentage.  Harold was one of the Stolen Generation. He was sent to South Australia where he later graduated from the South Australian School of Art. He also has an honorary degree in Social Anthropology from Adelaide University (Bibliography, 2017).

Thomas designed the flag as art.  It represents the many countries of Aboriginal Australia by symbolising the relationship between people, land and cultural identity. It tells of the earth, the sun and the dignity of black people. It represents Aboriginal sovereignty and repudiates assimilation. It unifies the activism of colonially displaced peoples.  It is not a flag of nationality, but the flag of decolonisation (Gallois, 2016).

Bibliography. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.aboriginalartstore.com.au/artists/harold-thomas/.

Gallois, M. (2016). The Aboriginal Flag as Art. Australian Aboriginal Studies. 2016(2), pp.46-60.