The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 52 No 1 April 2013

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art form. Many pots are decorated with panoramic landscapes and adorned with figurines that reflect
matters of significance to artists. Irene Mbitjana Entata's (1946-) Babes (1996), synthetic polymer on
terracotta, 15 x 11.3 x 10.8 cm, is an example. The pot is painted with a vivid rendition of Country. On
its lid stand two bright pink pigs with curly tails. This work is both a testament to the many feral pigs
that roam the region, as well as to Entata's delight in the 1995 hit Australian movie Babe.
In 1966, under the auspices of the University of New South Wales, Professor Leslie Haynes and others
established a Ceramic Research Un it at the Bagot Road Aboriginal Settlement, Darwin. An Indigenous
pottery venture was eventually established for commercial gains and as an outlet for artistic expression.
Nicholls notes that this venture led to the establishment of the overwhelmingly male Tiwi Pottery,
providing a foundation for the activity of many current-day ceramicists.
With support from Catholic Missions, Tiwi Pottery was established in 1972. Well-known Tiwi
narratives and traditions were often the basis for works. The earthenware sculpture l arakalani lantu
(Turtle Boat) 1999, 56 x 80 x 32 cm, by Mark Puautjimi and Cyril James Kerinauia, is a depiction of
traditional turtle hunting. The work is painted with typical Tiwi geometriC patterns in red-brown, black
and white that parallel designs on traditional barks and canvases.
Nicholls asserts that no account of Indigenous ceramics could be complete without reference to
Thanakupi, also known as Thancoupie (1937-2011). Thanakupi was a renowned, indeed inspirational,
linguist, educator and ceramicist. Her works are displayed in fine arts institutions worldwide. She was
the first Indigenous Australian to study fine arts at a tertiary level, to establish her own studio (1976),
and to maintain a long, successful career as a ceramicist. In later works, Thanakupi often represented
narratives associated with her Cape York Peninsula people. Spherical earthenware sculpture, Thaal the
black eagle, Mal the red eagle, 1994, 29 x 32 cm, is representative, and has been incised with deep
figurative and non-figurative patterns representing these sacred eagles.
Nicholls's personal involvement in the (aborted) development of a modern ceramics tradition at
Lajamanu (Tanami Desert) parallels her association with the community that she lived in as linguist,
Thanakupi Gloria Fletcher, 1937-2011, Thaynakwith, Love magic pot, 1985, earthenware, salt glaze, h.9.8cm, w.13.Scm
Flinders University Art Museum 2229; courtesy Jennifer Isaacs; photo: Flinders University An Museum