Karen Shuan

I grew up in Mossman learning two ways of life: Kuku Yalanji and Western. I learnt language and culture from the age of four, and as I grew I was an interpreter for my mother and elders. Now I teach my daughters—we all speak language at home.

Now, both my parents have passed away. My mother was from Mossman and she is my role model, she taught me language, culture and dance from the past and the present. The stories in dance she also painted; stories like that of Diwan laying eggs, the sea turtle and crocodile, dreaming stories. Images mean a lot to Indigenous people, right across Australia; there’s different meanings for images, different languages and different dialects.

As a young person, my father’s uncle, Eddy Bloomfield, painted for pleasure and to pass on knowledge. He painted on any surface he could find—bark, turtle shells etc. I was always listening to elders and Eddy encouraged me to pick up a paintbrush. He taught me traditional techniques. Telling stories of the seaside and what is edible and what isn’t.

My elders taught me how to survive here. This is valuable for the next generation. Strong voices and histories, self-expression through dance and painting… this is how they survived.

I have seven daughters, seven grandsons and one granddaughter; I pass on my stories to teach my daughters. My artwork stories focus on Marra Marra (women), Jalbu Jalbu (teenager girls) and Gumba (elders) and my family members.