Bill Yidumduma Harney
Encyclopedia
Bill Yidumduma Harney is a senior elder of the Wardaman
people whose homeland is near Katherine in the Northern Territory
of Australia
. He is also known as an artist
, storyteller, and musician.
. His biological father was the famous Irish-Australian writer William Edward Harney
, but he was brought up in a traditional Aboriginal community by his adopted Aboriginal father, Joe Jomornji, and mother, Ludi Yibuluyma. His sister was taken as part of the stolen generation
but he escaped because his mother covered him in charcoal to hide the whiteness of his skin.
. In August 2009 he featured in a two-man The First Astronomers show with astrophysicist Ray Norris
at the Darwin Festival, and in November 2009 he was prominent in the Message Stick program on Aboriginal Astronomy produced by ABC TV.
Wardaman
The Wardaman people are a small group of Indigenous Australians living about 200km South-West of Katherine in the Northern Territory of Australia...
people whose homeland is near Katherine in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He is also known as an artist
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians. It is generally regarded as beginning with a painting movement that started at Papunya, northwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in 1971, involving artists such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri...
, storyteller, and musician.
Early life
Harney was born between 1932 and 1936 at Brandy Bottle Creek, on Wllleroo Station, NTNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. His biological father was the famous Irish-Australian writer William Edward Harney
William Edward Harney
William Edward Harney , also well-known as Bill Harney, was a largely self-educated Australian writer. Most of his early life was an itinerant one of poverty and hardship, punctuated by tragedy, spent mainly in the outback...
, but he was brought up in a traditional Aboriginal community by his adopted Aboriginal father, Joe Jomornji, and mother, Ludi Yibuluyma. His sister was taken as part of the stolen generation
Stolen Generation
The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments...
but he escaped because his mother covered him in charcoal to hide the whiteness of his skin.
Aboriginal teachings and awards
Harney is well-known as an advocate and ambassador for Aboriginal Australians, and has made several international tours promoting knowledge of Aboriginal Australians. He also appears regularly on TV, radio, and film, often speaking on the subject of Aboriginal Astronomy. In 2003 he published, with Hugh Cairns, "Dark Sparklers", detailing the astronomy embedded in the Wardaman culture. He has been a finalist several times in the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art AwardNational Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award
The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award is one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia. Established in 1984 by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and awarded annually, it is sponsored by Telstra, so is commonly known as the Telstra Award.Prize-winners...
. In August 2009 he featured in a two-man The First Astronomers show with astrophysicist Ray Norris
Ray Norris (astrophysicist)
Ray Norris is an astrophysicist and science communicator at the CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility, and is well known for his work on Aboriginal Astronomy.-Early life:...
at the Darwin Festival, and in November 2009 he was prominent in the Message Stick program on Aboriginal Astronomy produced by ABC TV.
Selected bibliography
- 1999 - Born Under the Paperbark Tree (with Jan Wositzky) ISBN 1-876622-03-2
- 2003 – Dark Sparklers (with Hugh Cairns) ISBN 0-9750908-0-1