The Salute – Indigenous Artwork

THE SALUTE—INDIGENOUS ARTWORK

Artist: Darren James Moffitt

The Salute was commissioned by the Director of Music, Commander Phillip Anderson OAM RAN, to honour Indigenous service to the Royal Australian Navy. It was created by the Aboriginal artist, Darren James Moffitt, and presented to the Royal Australian Navy in the presence of the GovernorGeneral of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, at a concert on 10 July 2011 marking the Centenary of the Royal Australian Navy. A dugong is the central feature in this painting—the dugong has strong cultural links to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and like the Navy, is inherently connected with the sea. The dugong is surrounded by five smaller sea animals, each representing Navy’s values with two of each type to symbolise both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: the Stingray for Honour, Fish for Honesty, Shark for Courage, Crab for Integrity and Turtle for Loyalty. The dark blue Starfish form the Southern Cross Constellation to represent Australia and the stars on the Australian White Ensign. This also symbolises country as does the coastline, which frames the painting. The coastline is scattered with stencil paintings, rock wall paintings and footprints. These symbols represent the past: tall ships for the Royal Navy, and Bungaree whose footprints tell of his circumnavigation of Australia with Matthew Flinders. The hands and traditional weapons are symbolic of Indigenous ancestors and past warriors. The boomerang, nulla nulla and stone axe are used in Royal Australian Navy ship crests to represent Australia. The stark kangaroo and Aboriginal hunter represents HMAS Parramatta, the first commissioned ship of the Royal Australian Navy and first of many to bear Indigenous names. The drum corps in each detachment of the Royal Australian Navy Band wear slings adorned with a copy of the salute to represent navy’s enduring acknowledgment of indigenous service.