Department of Cultural Affairs

The Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dancers, a widely-known Australia dance troupe, gave an amazing performance to commemorate Australia National Day January 22 in Taipei.
 
“Australia Day is a great opportunity to celebrate and appreciate cultural variety,” said Alice Cawte, Australian Representative at the Australian Commerce and Industry Office, Taipei.
 
Hailing from Queensland, Nunukul Yuggera’s members come from four aboriginal tribes including the Nunukul, Yuggera, Yugimbir and Nugi, most of whom reside near the sea or on islands. Their unique lifestyle, religions and tribal legends serve as both inspiration and reincarnation in their dances and music.
 
Nunukul Yaggera upholds the belief that “your culture is your identity—be strong, be proud.” This idea is well demonstrated by the members of the younger generation who join the troupe.
 
The troupe has a rich history of performances including the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics, and they have also toured around the world several times, visiting Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Greece. 
 
The Nunukul Yaggera Aboriginal Dancers’ performance also served to open an art exhibition titled ‘Contemporary Australian Art from the Balgo Hills’ at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. This exhibition feature 26 works by aborigines from the Balgo Hills, a world away from Taiwan and even distant from other parts of Australia.
 
Aborigines in the hills draw inspiration for creativity from nature and portray themes as such as Dreaming, the land their ancestors wandered across, and creatures in nature that are reincarnations of their ancestors’ spirits.
These colorful Balgo arts with their powerful strokes made their debut in the world in the 1980s. The aboriginal works combine ancient totems with modern forms, resulting in patterns that reflect abstract shapes or features of the landscape.
 
In addition, the adoption of modern acrylics and etching techniques is successfully changing people’s stereotypical views of aboriginal artists and their understanding of the meaning of “contemporary” in contemporary art.  
 
“I hope this exhibition will provide you with a deeper understanding of the rich and vibrant culture of Aboriginal Australia,” noted Cawte, going on to say, “I hope it will further contribute to educational exchanges between indigenous communities in Australia and Taiwan.”
 
Contemporary Australian Art from the Balgo Hills will run through February 21 in the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.