Reef of resilience

“We are, as Indigenous people, natural storytellers, and we can tell the story of our Country through our songs and dances, but we can also interpret that into another medium like art and contemporary art.”

Telling the story of Mornington Island reef, Lardil woman Renee Wilson’s striking Indigenous artwork ‘Mundarlbi’ captures the strength of the place she calls home.

Situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Kunhanhaa (Mornington Island) is the northernmost and largest of 22 islands that form the Wellesley Islands group, fringed by mangrove forests, crystal clear waters and coral reefs.

“It’s where you can actually go back to your homelands and just be on Country and know that you’re from there,” the Mornington Island artist reflects. “It’s really a feeling that’s very hard to describe at times, but I think that’s my favourite part.”

Touring as a professional dancer in Australia and internationally, Renee has shared the story of her remote island community and the traditional stories of her ancestors through dance and now contemporary art.

“Meeting people, sharing, connecting and educating at the same time, has made me a prouder Lardil person,” she says.

She tells the story of ‘Mundarlbi’: “It’s a song, and a dance that goes with it. An old man who’s passed now, Ngawalin, hard rock, he owned that song, and it means the sea and the rock.

“In the dance, there’s dancers representing the rock, and dancers representing the waves; and in the actions of the dance, you see the dancers imitating the waves bashing up against that rock, trying to knock it down, but the rock will always remain.”

With family connections to NRL Cowboys House – a boarding facility for Indigenous secondary students from some of Australia’s most remote and geographically disadvantaged communities – Renee is inspiring a new generation of Indigenous youth and showcasing her culture on the national stage, with ‘Mundarlbi’ commissioned to feature on the 2023 North Queensland Cowboys Indigenous jersey and NRL Cowboys House polo shirt.

Her key message is one for all: “No matter what happens in life, try to be strong like the rock, no matter what comes over you, tries to wash over you, always remember to be strong like the rock, Mundarlbi.”

The Cowboys Indigenous jersey and the NRL Cowboys House polo are available through the Cowboys Team Shop.

Rex Airlines is a proud supporter of NRL Cowboys House: cowboysfoundation.org. au/programs/nrlcowboys-house