Art, Language and Naming
There is high demand for Aboriginal art and language
There is high demand for the presence of Aboriginal art and language in public and private places. We have immense experience with providing culturally appropriate artwork and names for different purposes. For art, we act as a platform providing opportunities not just for Turrbal people, but also for the broader Aboriginal community. As for language, we are extremely fortunate to have had our Turrbal language documented in the 1850s and to therefore still have it intact today. Should you require art, language and/or naming services, you can contact us.
Kulkarawa Barambah Meeanjinu
In-House Turrbal Artist
Kulkarawa Barambah Meeanjinu is an Aboriginal artist from Brisbane, Australia. Kulkarawa is a Turrbal and Gubbi Gubbi woman with additional bloodline connections to Wakka Wakka, Kamilaroi and Birri Gubba Country. She was named after her great, great, great grandmother who was the daughter of Daki Yakka (Chief of the Brisbane Tribe during the first half of the 19th century).
Kulkarawa was born in Barrambin on the lands of the Daki Yakka clan (sub-group of the Turrbal Tribe). She grew up on her ancestral homelands of Meeanjin (Brisbane) learning the traditional laws and customs from her elders. Throughout her childhood, Kulkarawa had a very strong bond with her nana, Connie Isaacs, who was raised on Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve in the early 1900s and led her people with fierce determination, lodging the Native Title claim for the Turrbal People and fighting for the recognition of their ancestral lands. Before her passing in 2013, nana Connie imparted Kulkarawa with her knowledge of the Turrbal and Gubbi Gubbi traditional songlines and dreaming stories.
Kulkarawa was also deeply guided by her mother, the late Maroochy Barambah, a revered Turrbal Elder, Songwoman, Law-woman and Australia's first female Aboriginal opera singer. Her mother's voice carried the stories of her people across the nation, teaching Kulkarawa the importance of honouring ancestors through creative expression and instilling a fierce commitment to truth-telling and cultural preservation. From the wisdom of her nana Connie to the strength of her mother Maroochy, Kulkarawa walks a path paved by generations of powerful matriarchs, carrying their legacy forward through every brushstroke and every story she tells.
Kulkarawa conveys the stories of her ancestors which have been passed down over thousands of years through canvas paintings. Being of both freshwater mob and saltwater mob, Kulkarawa’s artwork portrays these elements. Often her pieces are centred around the waterways of Maiwar (the Brisbane River), Marutchi Nuken (the Maroochy River), the surrounding coastal seas and the native fauna.
If you would like to commission Kulkarawa for a painting, you can contact us.