History of Item
This cloak was worn by Yorta Yorta elder, Matilda House-Williams, at the opening of Parliament on 13 February 2008, when the Prime Minister, Hon. Kevin Rudd, made his 'Apology' speech.
This cloak was created for the opening of the Albury Library/Museum and in 2008 purchased for the collection.
***********************************************************************************************
Dr Treahna Hamm began the creation of possum skin cloak making in the late 1990’s. While living in Moama and working at the Yorta Yorta Nations Aboriginal Corporation adjacent to the Barmah Forest, little did she know the importance of her work and its future impact for the rejuvenation and revitalisation of this traditional practice to Aboriginal people of the south-east of Australia.
While researching a PhD in Philosophy (Education) in 2004, an old photograph surfaced in her attempt to piece together the history and stories of this traditional practice. The photograph, taken at a women’s camp at Maloga, depicted Hamm’s great great great Aunty – Sarah Walker.
The research was done while cross-referencing Uncle Alick Jackomos’ family trees which was an extensive study of the families based on Yorta Yorta Elders who lived between traditional lifestyles and missions. Hamm’s great great grandmother, Elizabeth Walker and great great grandfather, Bagot Morgan were vital and strong family links to gaining an in depth understanding of the connection to heritage through the process of cloak making in relation to living ‘on country’ and learning.
Since this time, the beautiful and multi-layers possum skin cloaks created by Treahna Hamm have been acquired by major galleries and museums including the National Gallery of Australia (Cultural Warriors exhibition), National Museum of Australia, Australian National Maritime Museum, Museum of World Culture, Frankfurt, Germany and the Albury Regional Gallery and also by private collectors in Australia and overseas.
The AlburyCity Collection holds the largest collection of possum skin cloaks, 4 which have been acquired during Hamm’s reclamation work and one worn by her in the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne in 2006.
Another of Hamm’s possum skin cloaks in the Albury Regional Gallery Collection was worn by Aunty Matilda House-Williams, a Ngambri Elder during the ‘welcome to country’ ceremony at both the 42nd and 44th Opening of Parliaments of Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd (2008) and Tony Abbott (2013).
For the Opening of Parliament formal ceremony on the 12th November 2013 a possum skin cloak was created especially to wear with Aunty Matilda’s family delegation. The cloak was based on an interpretation of the traditional Yorta Yorta possum skin cloak ‘collected’ at Maiden’s Punt (the old name for Moama) during the 1850’s.
‘Emu Cummeragunja Woka’ (Emu homelands), Hamm’s recent cloak is currently on temporary exhibition at the Charles Sturt University library, Wagga Wagga, where the artist graduated with a Masters of Visual Arts in 2000. The cloak highlights the evolution of the artist’s practice and technique using ochre as well as other traditional methods of painting derived from the landscape of Dhungala – the Murray River. The emu feathers which adorn this cloak have strong family links and are symbolic of the stories to one of Hamm’s family clans the (Wollithica) of the Yorta Yorta.
Online Collection