Taboo Food Story
Artist:
Dick Roughsey (Goobalathaldin)
(Australian, 1920 - 1985)
Place made:Kunhanhaa (Mornington Island), Queensland, Australia
General region:Oceania
Date: 1968
Medium: Natural pigments on bark
Dimensions:
h. 30 1/2 in. (77.5 cm); w. 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm); d. 1/4 in. (0.6 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Lutcher Brown
Object number: 85.7
Copyright: © Dick Roughsey (Goobalathaldin)
Label Text
This painting tells the story of two recently initiated boys who committed a taboo by cooking food from land and sea in the same fire. Frightened by an incoming hailstorm, they ran into the sea where they turned to stone and remain to this day.
Goobalathaldin is one of Mornington Island’s most renowned artists. He worked in a variety of media and illustrated children’s books that recount ancestral stories. His work is exemplary of art from Mornington Island, which features narrative content and a more naturalistic rendering of figures.
(LM, 2022)
Goobalathaldin is one of Mornington Island’s most renowned artists. He worked in a variety of media and illustrated children’s books that recount ancestral stories. His work is exemplary of art from Mornington Island, which features narrative content and a more naturalistic rendering of figures.
(LM, 2022)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
