Cecelia Tigan Aambarn and Jiidid (Manta Ray and Whirlpool) Bag Charm
Bag Charm Artwork Story:
Aambarn or Manta rays are not hunted by Mayala people, they swim freely and we let them be, we have respect for them, and they live alongside us. They can become very large and only breach the surface at certain times, it’s rare to see the large ones.
We have a big whirlpool on Mayala country It protects us from cyclones, sucking the cyclone down into the ocean before it makes landfall. If Mayala people want to cross over to visit other Country on the other side of Sunday Straight the only time you can cross is at king tides when the water is high and safe to cross.
Artist Bio:
Cecilia Tigan (also fondly referred to as Lala in the studio) joined Nagula Jarndu in 2022 when she moved to Broome with her family. She was born in Ardyloon/One Arm Point on the Dampier Peninsula where she spent her childhood. Her work is strongly influenced by her late father, artist Aubrey Tigan, Renowned for his Riji (ceremonial pearl carving), whose work is held in galleries and museums around the world. Like her father, Cecilia tells stories of her Mayala heritage, collecting pearl shells on the high tide, whirlpools and tidal movements, ancestral connections, traditional hunting techniques and tools and ocean food and medicine.
Cecelia has spent a lifetime heavily involved in caring for Mayala country working as a Bardi Jawi Oorany ranger before advisory work for the 2024 establishment of the Mayala Indigenous Protected Area, eencompassing hundreds of islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago, reef, and seabeds. She is passionate about the recording and maintenance of Mayala language and respectful cultural practices that ensure the integrity of her heritage is continued.
