Aunty Zeta Thomson, in collaboration with Mike Maka and Simone Thomson
About the artwork
‘Every Aboriginal person has a totem. The Emu is my totem. Our totems are passed down within family over generations. They define who we are in the Aboriginal world. We are told we cannot harm or eat our totems. They are our spirit protectors (our Dreaming), it is to keep a balance on Country and the environment.’ Aunty Zeta Thomson
About the artists
Aunty Zeta Thomson is a Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri and Yorta-Yorta Traditional Owner, Knowledge Holder, Keeper of Language, elder and artist with strong links to her ancestral homelands along the Birrarung (Yarra River), the river of mist and shadows – and the Dhungala, the Murray River. Aunty Zeta has been involved with Aboriginal community organisations throughout her life and continues to maintain and pass on cultural knowledge and stories.
Mural artist Mike Maka works in a variety of media, mainly on walls, canvas and illustrative works on paper. His artwork captures a world in which the natural forces fight back against humanity, reclaiming the earth from the uncaring advance of civilisation. He has painted and collaborated in over a dozen Aboriginal communities.
Simone Thomson is a Naarm-based artist, and a Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri and Yorta-Yorta Traditional Owner who draws inspiration for her art through her spiritual connection to Country.
Aunty Zeta’s original painting was translated into a mural painted by Mike Makatron and Simone Thomson with the assistance of Serena Rio.
