Biennale of Sydney

LEARNING | NIRIN AT HOME: Women's Week

NIRIN HAIVITA 2.jpg

GO TO THIS WEEK'S RECIPE, BAKED RAINBOW TROUT BY GRACE DLABIK & HER MOTHER HAIVETA

GO TO THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY: COLLAGE

BE. NIRIN HAIVETA Learning Resource

BE.

Established in 2017
Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung lands, Melbourne, Australia

BE. is a global creative collective dedicated to establishing new pathways to champion young people. Our vision is to shape an ever-evolving ecosystem that represents all types of communities and reflects the world we want to create. Our commitment is to cultivate unique and nurturing opportunities where young people are seen, valued and heard. For NIRIN, BE., in collaboration with Noakes Group, marks a sailing vessel to reactivate the memory of women’s tattoo practice outlawed through colonisation.

For NIRIN, BE., in collaboration with Noakes Group, marks a sailing vessel to reactivate the memory of women’s tattoo practice outlawed through colonisation.

Haiveta pays homage to the richness of Pasifika women’s markings worn by our ancestors, passed down through bloodlines that tell a visual story of our heritage, identity and culture. This tradition in many parts of the Pacific has been disrupted through the effects of colonisation and the impacts of missionaries inflicting shame for sacred practices.

The first part of her name, HAI, means heart in Toaripi language from Papua New Guinea. To express the depth of ‘big heart’ the word HAI is often used. Together Haiveta means heartfelt comforter.

Through her powerful visual presence, and migration along the waterways and channels of Sydney Harbour, Haiveta creates a safe passage to reclaim and revive the memory and continuation of this rich and important tradition. Her skin will display, in collaboration with women tattoo and illustration artists from the Pasifika, conceptual motifs to celebrate and honour traditional women’s mark-making.

NIRIN HIAVETA, Parramatta River. Photograph: Emily McTaggart
NIRIN HIAVETA, Parramatta River. Photograph: Emily McTaggart
NIRIN HAIVETA. Photograph: Zan Wimberley
NIRIN HAIVETA. Photograph: Zan Wimberley
NIRIN HAIVETA. Photograph: Zan Wimberley
Emele Ugavule, Lesina Ateli-Ugavule, Steven Letoafa, Tavao Fa'avae-Eli, Timena Lealamisa, GraceDlabik and Sana Balai (artists), documentation of community marking events upon the boat HAIVETA, which took the form of painting the interior of the ferry in personal cultural designs, 23 February 2020. Photograph: Jack Hammond
Emele Ugavule, Lesina Ateli-Ugavule, Steven Letoafa, Tavao Fa'avae-Eli, Timena Lealamisa, GraceDlabik and Sana Balai (artists), documentation of community marking events upon the boat HAIVETA, which took the form of painting the interior of the ferry in personal cultural designs, 23 February 2020. Photograph: Jack Hammond
Emele Ugavule, Lesina Ateli-Ugavule, Steven Letoafa, Tavao Fa'avae-Eli, Timena Lealamisa, GraceDlabik and Sana Balai (artists), documentation of community marking events upon the boat HAIVETA, which took the form of painting the interior of the ferry in personal cultural designs, 23 February 2020. Photograph: Jack Hammond
Parramatta Female Factory. Photograph: Emily McTaggart

NIRIN Podcast Series: Episode 3: Revisiting the past and rewriting the future

Recipe: BAKED RAINBOW TROUT, served with dumplings, yams and greens, by Grace Dlabik and her mother Haiveta

"This recipe is a taste from my mother's homeland in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She has adapted it from using traditional foods sourced and harvested locally like fish, yams and coconut, to create her own little signature dish by using ingredients she can find in Australia." - Grace Dlabik

BAKED RAINBOW TROUT. Served with dumplings, yams and greens

BAKED RAINBOW TROUT
Served with dumplings, yams and greens.

"This recipe is a taste from my mother's homeland in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She has adapted it from using traditional foods sourced and harvested locally like fish, yams and coconut, to create her own little signature dish by using ingredients she can find in Australia.

"Growing up in Australia, I have been introduced to my cultural roots through song, traditional dancing and food. I have very fond memories of get-togethers with my aunties where we would have dance practice learning traditional dance from different parts of PNG and the songs that accompany them. They would teach it to one another and to us children. The sound of all the aunties’ voices was always loud, but always in harmony. Beautiful fragrant smells of sweet coconut rice, yams, sago, and strong pungent smells of fish would fill the air as we worked up an appetite practicing over and over. Each aunty brought food to share and while we danced the food was warming up for us to feast on afterward.

"This dish is one of my favourites that my mother Haiveta would make for special occasions like dance practice.

-Grace Dlabik

Ingredients

Baked Rainbow Trout

1 whole rainbow trout, gutted and cleaned, head and tail still on
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 small sweet potato (or 1 large), cut into 1cm chips
3 Desiree potatoes, cut into 1cm chips
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
Half a bunch coriander, roughly chopped
4-5 sprigs dill
4-5 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk lemongrass
1 large chilli
½ cup coconut milk
400 ml can coconut milk

Dumplings with yams and greens

2 cans 400 ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 yams (whichever ones you like), peeled and diced
2 cups plain flour
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 bunch silverbeet, roughly chopped

Method

Baked Rainbow Trout 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Place the fish in a large baking tray.
  3. Season the fish by rubbing salt and pepper into the skin and sprinkle with curry powder.
  4. Place potatoes and sweet potatoes in the tray around the fish.
  5. Layer the slices of garlic and ginger over the fish. Add sprigs of dill, coriander and the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves around the tray and sprinkle the turmeric over the fish.
  6. Add fresh chilli to taste.
  7. Drizzle coconut milk over the dish.
  8. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes.

Dumplings 

  • Place the two cans of coconut milk into a pot and add a cup of water. Bring to simmer and add a teaspoon of salt.
  • Add diced yams to the pot of coconut broth.
  • Place 2 cups plain flour in a bowl (reserve a little to roll dough in), and create a well.
  • Pour half cup of water slowly into bowl. Gently mix the water and flour together until a soft dough forms.
  • Pinch a small handful of dough and roll into a finger-shaped dumpling using the reserved flour to bind the dough and water together.
  • Gently place the dumpling into the coconut broth and repeat until all the dough has been used.
  • Cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat.
  • Add kale and silverbeet to the broth and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and place a lid in the pot. Leave for 3 minutes before serving.

Serve with steamed or coconut rice.

We’d love to see how you use these resources at home. Post your stories and photos on Instagram with the hashtag #NIRINathome.

Karla Dickens, A Dickensian Circus, 2020. Installation view for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020), Art Gallery of New South Wales. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the Australia Council for the Arts, Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, Create NSW, and generous assistance from Justine and Damian Roche. Courtesy the artist & Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane. Photograph: Felicity Jenkins

READING NIRIN: NIRIN NGAAY | Karla Dickens

Collage Learning Activity

NIRIN AT HOME | Collage

This week's activity is inspired by the reading above from Karla Dickens, and invites students to create their own collage works.

READ MORE ABOUT KARLA DICKENS

NIRIN AT HOME | Collage

This week's activity is inspired by the reading above from Karla Dickens, and invites students to create their own collage works.

What you'll need

  • Magazines, books, newspapers or catalogues that you can cut up
  • Paper or cardboard
  • Glue or tape

Method

  1. Read Karla Dickens’ poem A Dickensian Circus from NIRIN NGAAY.
  2. Think about the themes addressed in the poem. Examine her choice of words and think about how they relate to the themes of the poem.
  3. Collect magazines, books, newspapers and catalogues that you can cut up to create a collage.
  4. Choose a topic you're passionate about. It might be the environment, human rights, accessibility, race or gender politics.
  5. Cut out words, images and patterns relating to your chosen topic. Think about the colour palette for your collage and how you can use different textures, such as glossy or matt paper.
  6. Create a collage addressing the topic by gluing the words and images on to a large piece of paper or cardboard.

Share your work with us!

We’d love to see how you use these resources at home. Post your stories and photos on Instagram with the hashtag #NIRINathome.