kanalaritja: An Unbroken String

kanalaritja: An Unbroken String was a culmination of a journey of resilience and revitalisation – a testament to one of the oldest continuous cultural practices of Tasmanian Aborigines that, like the Community, has endured, survived and proudly asserts a continuing presence and diversity.

kanalaritja: An Unbroken String offered a unique glimpse into shell stringing, one of the most culturally significant and closely guarded traditions of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.

This Community journey had never before been the focus of a touring exhibition, nor comprehensively documented in a dedicated publication.

The exhibition featured a variety of beautiful, delicate and rare strung shell works evidencing the knowledge and skills of Tasmanian Aboriginal makers.

This project emphasised cultural continuance,as well as innovation and expansion of this practice.

It showcased  works  from the 19th century by women on the Furneaux Islands in Bass Strait through to the acclaimed makers of today, including a new wave of stringers who learnt the tradition through  luna tunapri (women’s knowledge), a cultural revitalisation project.

Shell stringing is one of the only practices that not only withstood the impacts of colonisation but adapted and evolved to include intricate and delicate patterns with numerous shell types, and, most recently the artistic inclusion of other natural materials such as kelp, furs and echidna quills.

The lives and practices of key makers was threaded through the exhibition to tie together the themes of resilience, continuity, identity and revitalisation.

Following its exhibition at TMAG, kanalaritja toured to Melbourne, Canberra, Albany, Geraldton, Adelaide, Darwin, Toowoomba, Grafton, Sydney and Launceston from 2017-19.