Delvene Cockatoo-Collins exhibition explores Quandamooka mermaid legend
Like the selkie in Celtic and Norse myths, the Moreton Bay mermaid swims in water but walks on land.
His name is Warrajamba and legend has it that he walked on the sands of North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) and Moreton Island (Mulgumpin).
His blood was spilled on Cowan Cowan Beach in Mulgumpin, where the sand remains red to this day.
You can find a life-size statue from now until November. Warrajamba at Brisbane MuseumThere are quampie (pearl oyster) shells for the fins and scales, yungaire (freshwater reed) for the arms, and hair made from the fibers of the tavalpin or beach hibiscus.
It is owned by Quandamooka artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, who has been tracking Warrajamba for a decade.
The story was passed down through his grandmother, Bethel Delaney, and his mother, Evelyn Parkin.
“My grandmother told my mother that there was a mermaid in the bay, and that was enough for me to keep exploring,” Cockatoo-Collins said.
His research uncovered the writings of Archibald Meston, who joined the Queensland Aborigines Protection Society in 1890 and wrote some of the first articles on local Indigenous culture in 1895.
“He came and visited the island and recorded the stories and the language. He recorded the story about the mermaid but wrote ‘it’s too long for this article’. So there’s more out there.”
Cockatoo-Collins takes over the Brisbane Museum’s Creative Space as artist-in-residence.
Here visitors are immersed in the mystery of Warrajamba and provided with materials to create their own mermaid or dugong figures using cardboard, clothes pegs and printing stamps featuring the artist’s designs.
The couture of Cockatoo-Collins, a printmaker and fashion designer, is also exhibited in George Street, Brisbane Quarter.
Banksia-dyed fabrics, skirts, tracksuits and vests made from Stradbroke Island shells and fibers are displayed alongside three large-scale stylized dilly bags inspired by her great-great-grandmother’s drawstring bags kept in various museums.
During her stay at the museum, she will design a fashion collection for the fashion show to be held in September.
Cockatoo-Collins come from an impressive matriarchal line. Her grandmother was one of the few First Nations people who worked at the Dunwich Benevolent Refuge on North Stradbroke Island in the 1940s and received a rationed salary.
“When they saw other people being paid, they protested and became the first Aboriginal people to protest for equal pay and be successful,” he said.
Cockatoo-Collins spent her formative childhood years on the island eating quampies in her mother’s curries. She returned to raise her own children, create art and clothing, and lead cultural tours.
Warrajamba’s message, he said, was to ask the questions you can while you have the chance.
“That’s what my mother says about my grandmother. I wish she’d asked more questions.” [about Warrajamba] more than when he was first told.
“This space encourages people to keep asking questions of their families, learning about your background.”
Warrajamba: Delvene Kakadu Collins At the Brisbane Museum City Hall from 28 March to 15 November. When Dilly Bags Catch the Light At the Brisbane Quarter until May 10. Entrance to both is free.
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Nick Dent is a Culture Reporter for the Brisbane Times covering the arts and things to do in the city.Connect via email.
