SYD BRUCE SHORTJOE | ‘Mudskipper and Mullett – Nga’a Oyngko’ | Linocut ST prints Wakain Pal’n nui apasi ngogu

Wakain Pal’n nui apasi ngogu adiew gidthaka ar ngogu kuiku maibaika – it is time – listen to the advice of the ancestors

This is because all this belongs to him

when the turtles were often found floating lazily near the surface of the water

Lardil people still believe this today and they tell people about where they'll go when they die

Published to coincide with the exhibition Compositional Utterances: Mandy Quadrio

SYD BRUCE SHORTJOE | ‘Mudskipper and Mullett – Nga’a Oyngko’ | Linocut ST prints Wakain Pal’n nui apasi ngoguSyd Bruce Shortjoe was born in the Aurukun mission 1964. His tribe is Wik Mynah tribe and his traditional country is North East and inland of Pormpuraaw. Syd's traditional saltwater totem is the bull shark and his freshwater totem is blue tongue lizard. His people are freshwater people. The people from this part of Cape York often speak 4 to 6 Indigenous languages. Syd speaks 9 languages plus English. He grew up in Pormpuraaw and learned the Thaayorre