Collection Details

Dinawan Ngarraarry - Emu Hunt; Jones, Leanne; 2022; BCC JNS 001

Name/TitleDinawan Ngarraarry - Emu Hunt

About this objectLeanne Jones is a Dharug and Wiradjuri woman, living on Dharug Country in the Hawkesbury/Blue Mountains. She has been engaged in art since childhood and has enjoyed tuition over the years from many well-known Australian artists as well as attending TAFE to study Aboriginal art and culture with Dharug artist, Leanne Tobin.

Jones’ paintings are representational and are made with layers of watercolour, acrylic and paper that are full of light, colour and texture. Her paintings tell stories about her ancestors, their culture, hunting, bush tucker, plants, animals and living on Country. Jones travels on Country often and this influences her art and storytelling of the landscape and gives her paintings a sense of place.

Artist statement
'The Story of the Emu Hunt – Dinawan Ngarraarry
(Dinawan is the Wiradjuri word for Emu.)
This painting tells the story of the Ancestors on Wiradjuri Country hunting the Dinawan – Emus.
Emus were once present everywhere and they are a symbol of Aboriginal survival and resilience in Australia until hunted out of most areas. Emu Plains was once a place where Emus were to be found. They are a majestic bird that has roamed Australia for thousands of years.
In an Emu Hunt the hunters worked as a team to hunt emus and sometimes would mimic the emu to confuse it by raising one arm to look like the emu’s neck and their hand appear as if it was an emu’s head.
After a successful hunt the emu was taken back to the camp for it to be prepared for a meal for the Mob to enjoy a feast. Feathers were also used for decoration in ceremony.

'Emus are significant in Aboriginal Wiradjuri culture and its shape can be seen in the Milky Way in the night sky and is known as 'Emu in the Sky is a very dark place'. The emu in the sky and its position was also used to tell Aboriginal people when they could take Emu eggs from the nest, and they only removed some of the eggs to continue the life cycle of emus. The female emu lays the eggs in a nest and then the male emu is left to care for the eggs and stays on the nest until the chicks hatch out. He doesn’t eat or drink until the eggs hatch. He is also responsible for caring for his babies until they are big enough to be on their own. When you see an emu with its young, it is the father emu who cares for them.'

MakerJones, Leanne

Maker RoleArtist

Date Made2022

Medium and MaterialsWatercolour, Japanese paper, pencil on canvas

Place MadeDharug Country

TechniquePainted

MeasurementsImage: 62 h x 92.5 w cm

Named CollectionBlacktown City Art Collection

Object TypeMixed media

Object numberBCC JNS 001

PDF FilesBCC JNS 001 - Condition Report - 2023_05_10.pdf