An outing at the SA Museum

Today we went for a trip to the SA Museum to see the new collection of Yuendumu school doors. These doors were quite fascintating as they were created in 1983 for school doors to encourage children to go to school. They are from a remote community 250km north of Alice Springs in the town of Yuendumu. There were 30 original Doors, Nine that were on display at the Museum. They not only reveal ancient stories and beliefs, but also the scars of graffiti of exposure to the elements and the school yard.

Another thing I liked was the Tindale masks. These extrodinary masks were used by young Aboriginal men in a series of performances during 1947 preceeding their initiation. The masks combine ancient elements and modern materials and subjects. Traditional headdresses in the Pilbara region framed the face with rolls of grass wrapped in hair-string. these masks, cut from old iron are similary framed with rolls of grass wrapped in hessian. Images taken by Bridget Anderson