Artwork 16 - Gatjil Djerrkura OAM
If we want to break away from the colonial past, and begin anew, then we have to walk together - hand in hand and side by side - as a truly reconciled nation.
Gatjil Djerrkura OAM, 2004
The Walatha, or fighting stick, was the totem of the late Gatjil Djerrkura. It is the totem of the Wangurri clan to which he belonged. The late Gatjil Djerrkura inherited his Wangurri clan responsibilities from his father but modelled his philosophy on his maternal grandfather, the warrior chief Wongu, whom he saw as strong in his culture but open to new ideas. Historically, the Wälatha was used by the leaders of the Wangurri clan to restore order and to bring peace. It was also used to pass messages from one clan to another, about ceremonies and other significant community events. With the advent of Christianity, the Wälatha acquired a symbolic meaning denoting peace, Reconciliation and friendship.
The Wälatha image was developed by the Djerrkura family.
Gatjil Djerrkura OAM at Reconciliation Place
Source
Djerrkura, Gatjil. Speech to launch Mark McKenna's This Country: a Reconciled Republic?, Manning Clark House, Canberra, 14 May 2004. www.manningclark.org.au/papers/ReconciledRepublic.html