Created at the Kuranda Visitor Information Centre, the artwork's translation means love the country, care for country. The artwork represents the many animals that are affected by marine pollution, representing the entirety of the river catchment area and the representation of community past, present and future.
For many thousand of years, we the Bama, the people of this place, have followed one track, djumburu nyiwul. This track is the Law of the Dreaming, of the storytime. We call it Bulurru. This Law links us with the creatures of this world, on the land, in the air and in the waters, and to the land itself, our bulmba, our home.
We have lived at one with the land and the waters and lived sustainably on their resources. Our laws tell us that if we dig for yams we should never take them all but leave some so there would be more in the future. We cared for environment because our lives depended on it.
Since colonisation, much of our forest has been cleared and the lives of its created endangered and now even the reef is being affected. Our sea is being polluted. Rubbish on the land makes it to the sea and threatens ngawuyu - turtle, djulmburran - dugong and other animals.
Our elders used to say "Bulmba budan! Clean up the camp! Clean up our place!" Today is no different - we must Bulmba budan! Clean up the place! Our future depends on it.
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