THERESA BEERON - Girringun Art Centre | 'Bagu' | Ceramic sculpture

The form and imagery of the bagu with jiman artwork has its origins in the sky. A mystical spirit of fire, would throw the jiman (firesticks) across the sky and a trail of fire would follow.

Based on the traditional fire making implements of the Girringun rainforest Aboriginal people, the artists have created artworks made from clay, timber and string to evoke the spirit of the old people. This imagery has also been placed onto canvas, fabric and also onto jewellery. 

Traditionally, the firesticks were made up of two parts, the Bagu (body) and Jiman (sticks). Bagu is normally made from the boogadilla (milky pine tree) and Jiman are made from mudja (wild guava tree) or jiman. The bagu form was founded in the shape of a man, and a spirit design was created with traditional clays and the ochre colours are magera yellow, jillan, black with wallaby blood and garba white.

Bagu and Jiman were carried from place to place as the camps were moved. There was a special man person whose job was to look after the fire. The keeper of the fire would not dare to let the fire go out or he would be in big trouble, particularly in the wet season when it was difficult to find dry tinder.

“We were not allowed to put our finger in the holes of the Bagu. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was a way to keep the fire pure,” Gulnay Traditional Owner, Doris Kinjun said.

Fire was a very important part of daily life for the old people. It was used for cooking, warmth, making traditional weapons, preserving and for ceremonies. It also provided a central point for social interaction and activities

Jirrbal / Girramay Traditional Owner
Weaver and Painter

Theresa Beeron is a Jirrbal and Girramay Traditional Owner of the North Murray Area. She is a holder of traditional knowledge and currently lives at Murray Upper, north-west of Cardwell.

Theresa was taught to weave the traditional baskets of the Jirrbal and Girramay people by her mother when she was young. She specialises in finely crafted mindi baskets made with special rainforest and river grasses. Theresa also creates the other traditional basket styles such as burrajingal and jawun from lawyer cane. As Theresa’s mother did, Theresa continues to pass on her weaving skills to the younger generations.

Theresa is also a painter and potter and her work reflects her Aboriginal heritage, traditional stories and the environment in which she lives. Her artwork is held in a number of institutional including Artbank, Sydney, and the Queensland Art Gallery and many private collections.

Theresa has exhibited her work in numerous exhibitions and is regularly called on to run workshops, for cultural advice and to talk about her work.

Located in Cardwell, Queensland, Girringun represents artists from nine Traditional Owner Groups: the Nywaigi, Gugu Badhan, Warrgamay, Warungnu, Bandjin, Girramay, Gulngay, Jirrbal and Djiru people.

The traditional country of these groups covers some 25,000 square kilometres of country in the state’s far-North. Objects from this country are significantly different from those of much of the rest of Australia. Weaving is done by both men and women, and the diversity of resources between land and sea have resulted in a vast array of implements being crafted for use.

A living functioning art centre, it is not unusual to see artists in the workshop developing new work and honing their craft. The stories and environments of this ancient culture are being transformed daily into visual images and designs by weavers, painters, potters, textile artists, and makers of traditional objects.

These artists bring to life the unique cultural story and expression of the distinctive Aboriginal rainforest art traditions and culture of the Girringun region, to share with the world.

THERESA BEERON | 'Bagu with Jiman' | Ceramic and wood | 29.5 (H) x 12 (W) x 7 (D) cm