Blak Heroes
Digi Youth Arts
Blak Heroes is a project that aims to amplify First Nations stories and peoples as heroes.
This project is a reflection of how we (Digi Youth Arts) as a young collective, define the word hero (i.e not only claiming heroic status in response to colonial oppression but also encompassing other facets of being a hero, just because of natural innovation and ability).
By representing the stories of our people through the lens of superheroes we set a new standard for the way society sees us. This representation of chosen heroes is shown through Dylan Mooney’s creative imagery, and Ethan Enoch-Barlow and Joella Warkill’s fire storytelling, giving life to this symbolisation of First Nations heroes.
Ethan Enoch-Barlow performs at IMA Belltower Saturday 5 December at 11am for IMA Open Day. Dylan Mooney's illustration Blak Heroes (2020) and Joella Warkill's poetry is on display at IMA Belltower until 19 December 2020.
She shines with colour that isn’t always visible
Fights with words
A leader
The pinnacle
Her eyes piercing with love
Not to be mistaken for anger when she speaks through passionate syllables
Fists engulfed in preparation for any situation
Grounded in sovereign land
We call that, celebration
He is humble, different to the masculine mainstream
It seems his shoulders, broader than boulders,
Tell stories of the mountains that have carved my dreams
His softness is his strength
Power in his knowledge and his countrymen
A pillar to lean on when seeking rejuvenation
A pillow for young people to envision revilitations
They are symbols of the greatness all around us
Edlers, aunties, uncles
A whole community, and cousins
Grandparents, our ‘bubs’, and the kin we call sisters and brothers
Heroes in the finest form
Not because of oppression or segregation
But for standing up and being vocal in their own nation
For sitting down and being still
For being warrior in their own four walls of conversations
I follow their lead
Guided by their essence I am sentenced to a pride that is free from stereotype and intimidation because my bloodline runs deeper than any plant or seed
Flora and fauna is not me
Practice my gathering in terms of needs
Re-imagine my superpower of weaving leaves to aim for something too good to believe,
For ‘we’.
She shines with colour that isn’t always visible
Fights with words
A leader
The pinnacle
Her eyes piercing with love
Not to be mistaken for anger when she speaks through passionate syllables
Fists engulfed in preparation for any situation
Grounded in sovereign land
We call that, celebration
He is humble, different to the masculine mainstream
It seems his shoulders, broader than boulders,
Tell stories of the mountains that have carved my dreams
His softness is his strength
Power in his knowledge and his countrymen
A pillar to lean on when seeking rejuvenation
A pillow for young people to envision revilitations
They are symbols of the greatness all around us
Edlers, aunties, uncles
A whole community, and cousins
Grandparents, our ‘bubs’, and the kin we call sisters and brothers
Heroes in the finest form
Not because of oppression or segregation
But for standing up and being vocal in their own nation
For sitting down and being still
For being warrior in their own four walls of conversations
I follow their lead
Guided by their essence I am sentenced to a pride that is free from stereotype and intimidation because my bloodline runs deeper than any plant or seed
Flora and fauna is not me
Practice my gathering in terms of needs
Re-imagine my superpower of weaving leaves to aim for something too good to believe,
For ‘we’.
Dylan Mooney, Blak Heroes, 2020, digital illustration, 42 x 59.4cm.
Because of them I can
Because of them I must
Because of them I will
Because of them I am
Because of them I can speak
Gifted with an echo so my words are never weak
Listen to my lyrics as it doubles and repeats
It sounds like my ancestors talking back to me
Words of a hero imbued in my text
With means to challenge and means to impress
I learn from their path to know what to do next
When I’m writing down a poem, I’m just showing them respect
I pick up all the pieces that they have left behind
I find well-crafted tools created from their mind
Holding the power to construct and design
But little did I know that these tools would be mine
These tools are shared with mobs of all kind
Used to build a generational line
These tools can be applied at any given time
To lay another brick or write another rhyme
Because of them I must uplift
Raise my people to the highest cliff
Hold my brothers with the tightest grip
Because I know there’s times my hand might slip
But family will help me land on my feet
My sisters will heal my wounds when I bleed
All my cousins will be there when I eat
Protect the roots for the next leaf on the tree
A true hero guards their loved ones
Never in pursuit of personal gain
You may never have an injury undone
But a true hero will help you through the pain
I lock eyes with these young ones and see my reflection
I see colonisation was a lethal injection
But we have the cure
Never forget this cloak of ancestral protection
Because of them I will continue
Matching the footprints that I place my feet into
No map needed
Direction is clear with the dreams I look in through
Lines in the land shaped by winds of calm
I see the same patterns in my fingers and palms
Similar to how the sand and the sea connect
My body is comprised of water and flesh
The land is what a hero must protect
Only then the earth and the people can rest
To learn a service for a material reality
Or to sacrifice life for rights and legality
There have been too many heroes to speak of in a breath
Because they are the reason for the air in my chest
This generation’s existence was something to contest
We are the living example of the mark they have left
Because of them I am talking, walking, listening, and learning
Laughing, loving, grieving, and yearning
I am existing and experiencing day and night
I am speaking, uplifting and continuing life
Though heroes are often heralded for their benevolence
We recognise our heroes for their intelligence
They made a master plan not constricted by relevance
They fought for a future of true Blak excellence
Aunty weaved her words into a basket holding all our aspirations
Uncle poured it all over the soil
Not one drop missed one spot of this nation
Until slowly the creator serpent uncoiled
Then came a seismic tremor of opportunity
A domino effect executed beautifully
An energy between mobs that sent a sense of unity
Still to this day it is felt between you and me
We are the embodiment of the wars we have won
But heed this
Life is not simply moon and sun
Be aware for there is work to be done
Being a hero is not a mantle to hold
It is a part of yourself you learn to unfold
That urge inside to bring warmth when it’s cold
That’s what defines if you’re complacent or bold
Fight your fight to whatever capacity
Don’t let life be consumed by apathy
Weave your words and speak them tactfully
Equip your tools and use them actively
We are blessed with the steps we have made
Our ancestor’s work is noticed each day
But as the struggle continues in an oncoming wave
A generation of heroes have footprints to make
Joella Warkill is a proud First Nations and South Sea Islander woman; descending from Yidinji people and Pentecost and Ambrym Island/s in Vanuatu. Aside from being the Emerging Producer at BlakDance, and running the sibling-owned grassroots Instagram page, iamsouthsea, Joella has a strong passion for spoken word poetry, and working with youth and communities in the performing arts field. Warkill’s poetry has been performed in spaces such as QLD Parliament, Plantation Voices exhibition at State Library of QLD, National Young Writers Festival 2019, Commonwealth Games 2018, Voices of Colour events, and many community events on Darumbal country. More recently Warkill has commissioned pieces for local online magazines, SBS First Nations takeover series 2020 and BIGSOUND Festival 2020.
Ethan Enoch-Barlow is a Quandamooka performer with a passion for poetry, music, and theatre. Ethan has done community theatre since he was five performing with Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, Beenleigh theatre, and Traction theatre. Enoch-Barlow has been featured in LaBoite Showcases such as; Define Adult, The Twenty One Artists Program, and has been a part of multiple Highway Festival and Fast Festival performances. Enoch-Barlow is a part of, ‘The Future Ancestors’, a collaborative work between; Digi Youth Arts, Voices of Colour, and Conscious Mic performed for Brisbane Festival and the opening of the new Metro Arts building. He is also a member of the hip hop group Barefoot Boyz and is a part of the Mama’s Boys Collective under Claire Christian.
Dylan Mooney is a Yuwi man from Mackay, central Queensland, Torres Strait Islander from Darnley Island and Badu Island and Australian born South Sea Islander. He is currently studying a bachelor of contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at the Queensland College of Art. Mooney’s practice includes digital illustrations, drawing and print-making and street art inspired by history, culture, and community stories. Mooney uses his art practice to share his stories of what it is like to be indigenous person in modern Australia, capturing the struggles and hardships First Nations peoples have gone through while telling a story of resilience and survival.