Stockroom507 of 549
Click to enlarge- Region
- Torres Strait Islands
- Community
- Thursday Island (Waiben)
- Language group
- Kala Lagaw Ya
Seven Blind Brothers I (left) and II (right)
linocut
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- Edition
- 1 of 85
- Printer
- Victor Motlop
- Studio
- Mualgau Minneral Artist Cooperative Moa Island (TSI)
- Paper
- 280gsm Velin BFK Rives
- Paper size
- 53 x 76 cm
- Image size
- 46 x 62 cm
- AAPN
- VM008
- Exhibited
- Gelam Nguzu Kazi – Dugong My Son: The First Exhibition of Limited Edition Linocuts by the Artists of the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective from Mua Island in the Torres Strait, curated by Adrian Newstead, organised by the Australian Art Print Network for the Kubin Community Council, Mua Island, Torres Strait, 2001.
- Artwork story
- This is a traditional Mua Island story. Seven blind brothers lived with their father. When their father died they kept his skull according to Island custom. Just above the hillside nearby lived a Dhogai (witch). Every day the blind brothers set out on their canoe to spear fish in the reef. They all wore warkai (feathers) on their heads. The feathers were to help them to catch fish. Every time these magic feathers vibrated on their heads it indicated a fish approaching and this would signal for them to throw the spear at the fish. Time after time while on their way home the Dhogai played her tricks with the brothers by placing floating logs in front of the canoe and quickly stealing the larger fish, leaving them only the smaller ones. On one particular night the eldest brother had a dream. In his dream a vision of his father came to him and said: "Go to Baban Kupi, you'll see a turtle nest there, dig the eggs and cook them on hot coals. When the eggs are cooked, place them on leaves and finally smash the eggs on your eyes so you can see because the Dhogai is stealing fish from your canoe." The next day the eldest brother told the others that their father had come to him in a dream and told them to go to Baban Kupi and complete his demands. So they all set off to Baban Kupi and dug up the turtle eggs and cooked them. When the eggs were cooked, one after another they smashed the eggs on their eyes. The blind brothers were shocked and amazed that they could see and were no longer blind. After that they set out to the reef. That day they speared more fish than any of the previous trips. On the way back the eldest brother told the others to pretend to be blind when the Dhogai approached them. As they were about to arrive home the Dhogai intercepted them to steal their fish again. Suddenly they all opened their eyes and said: "You're the one who always steals our fish and now we will kill you." The Dhogai said: "Good job! I stole your fish the whole time you were blind." The blind brothers ignored the Dhogai and speared her to death. Today you can see the form of rocks which represents the characters of this story. They are all at Bapu on Mua Island, the seven blind brothers and their father's skull and the wicked Dhogai. Story as told by Lizzie Narwia