5th Grade Hood Field Trip
Fifth grade took our first of four field trips to the Hood Museum this week. We viewed the Madayin exhibit created by the Yolnu people of Australia and created our own ink prints inspired by our interpretations of the artwork.
Yolnu means “the people.” Yolnu have lived in Yirrkala for thousands of years and have
a deep understanding of Country. Country is the land, sea, sky and all the plants and
creatures that live within it. Yolnu paint clan designs on their bodies and ceremonial
objects. Clan designs are unique patterns that Yolnu pass down through their
communities that connect them to their ancestors, their country, and each other. These
designs are described as maḏayin: a term that means both the sacred and the beautiful.
The bark paintings we saw are works of art that share these designs with
non-yolnu people like us. These paintings are some of the best contemporary artworks
from Australia and we are very lucky that Yolnu artists have shared them with us.
If you would like to know more about the artwork, you may enjoy visiting the Hood this fall (admission is free!) and seeing some of the artists featured in the exhibit among their
artworks in this video! Madayin Intro Video
