James Tylor: Mudlirna

James Tylor is a multidisciplinary artist with diverse Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa) and European ( English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Norwegian) ancestry. Based in Tarntanya/Adelaide, Tylor’s practice spans photography, furniture and objects. In Mudlirna, Tylor presents a new body of carved Kaurna objects that celebrate the culture and design of the Kaurna community in South Australia.

Tylor provides greater insight into the objects featured in the exhibition, highlighting what they are made from, their use and pronunciation.

Mudlirna is showing in Gallery Two at JamFactory Tarntanya/Adelaide from 30 September - 3 December.

Download the Kaurna Object Guide

KAYA
Grasstree Spear

DescrIption
This is a light weight spear made with a kayamunthu flower stem from the kuru grasstree and has a kayawari tea tree spear tip. The kayamunthu and the kayawari are held together with sinew and kuru yaku grass tree resin. This spear is thrown using a midla spear thrower. The kayawari tip of the spear can be smooth, barbed or covered with sharp quartz stone. This type of spear is used for hunting, fishing or fighting.

WIRNTA
Wooden Spear

Description
This is a large wooden spear made from a gum tree sapling and is thrown by hand only. This type of spear is used for ceremony, punishment and fighting. The tip of the spear is typically barbed but can be smooth or covered with small sharp quartz stones which is held in place with narnu yaku pine tree resin

KUTPI
Reed Spear

Description
This is a light weight spear made with a witu common reed stem for the body and has a tea tree spear tip. The witu reed body and the tea tree tip is held together with sinew and kuru yaku grass tree resin. The tea tree tip of the spear can be smooth, barbed or covered with sharp quartz stone held in place with narnu yaku pine resin. This spear is thrown using a midla spear thrower and the end of the reed that connects to the kangaroo tooth is reinforced with widni sinew. This type of spear is used for hunting small animals and fighting.

MIDLA
Spearthrower

Description
The midla is a spear thrower made from a long piece of wood for the body with a kangaroo tooth pin at the tip. The body of the midla is traditionally made of karku sheoak timber because it is strong and light weight. At the top of the midla is a kangaroo tooth that is used to load and hold the spear end and spear thrower together. The kangaroo tooth is fasten to the tip of the midla with kangaroo sinew and kuru yaku grass tree resin. Sometimes a piece of quartz or stone can be fastened to the handle at the bottom of the midla for a adze like chisel. Kaurna midla has a unique shape with an oval or round shape body, this oval is typically flat but it can be convex too. The midla which acts as a lever to propel a spear with more power to improve distance and velocity. The midla spear thrower is used to throw the kaya grasstree, witu or kutpi reed spears but not the heavy wirnta wooden spear.

WIRRI
Club

Description
The wirri is a wooden club made out of eucalyptus timber. The wirri is used for fighting with people or hitting and throwing at animals during hunting. Historically wirri clubs can come in various shapes and forms. The typical design of a Kaurna wirri has a small tear drop or round head for hitting. The skinny shaft has fluted grooves running length ways down the shaft. The shaft can be straight or bend depending the personal preference. The handle has small short cuts running around the handle to help to grip the club with your hand.

KATHAWIRRI
Two Edged Sword Club

Description
Kathawirri double edge wooden sword is unique to Kaurna culture. This type of Kaurna sword is used for fighting in close combat. The shaft of the Katha wirri has straight fluting down the shaft same as the wirri club and is generally the same length as the katha digging stick.

TANTANAKU
Fighting Stick

Description
A tantanaku is a fighting club. It looks similar to a katha club digging stick but has a knob handle and a slightly tapered shaft with a heavier head than a katha. It has a sharpen beveled tip for digging and stabbing. The tantananku is used by Peramangk in the Adelaide Hills and Meru on the Murray River

NGARLAWIRRI
Long Sword

Description
A long heavy sword. That is similar in form to the Tantanaku

MURLAPAKA
Kaurna Broad Bark Shield

Description
Murlapaka is a broad shield made from the bark of a tarma ribbon or karra river red gum tree used for defence against projectile objects such as spears and rocks. The paka bark is taken from a gum tree and dried on a fire to flatten, harden and season the bark. The shape and size of the shield’s body can vary depending on family territories from a wide round body in the southern Fleurieu Peninsula region, to a narrow oval shape body on the Adelaide Plains but both styles of murlapaka have parrying wings at the top and the bottom of the shield. A murlapaka shield has a wooden handle made for a green wattle stick. The shield is typically painted with white pipeclay with red ochre bands. The Murlapaka shield is carved with bands and zigzag patterns. The shield design has cultural significance for Kaurna people but it also acts as an optical illusion to help to distract the opponent and impede their accuracy with throwing spears.

TAIYARUKI
Parry Shield

Description
Taiyaruki is a hardwood parrying shield is used for close combat fighting with clubs. The Kaurna hardwood parrying shield has a curved face and a triangular back with a handle. The face can have carved designs on the face of the shield. Kangaroo skin can be wrapped around the face and the handle hole. See image below.

KARKU
Spade

Description
Karku is a wooden spade made from the Karku she oak tree used for digging holes in the ground. The karku is commonly used for digging up grubs in soft soil.

YUKU
Oval Vessel

Description
An oval shaped vessel for carrying food, water or a bark canoe. Yuku can be made from the timber or bark from a eucalyptus tree.

TAMIAKU
Stone Axe

Description
Tamiaku is a axe or tomahawk used for cutting bark or timber. Historical Kaurna tamiaku are made with a stone head with a wooden handle from the mirnu golden wattle tree bent around the stone head and tied together with string. Narnu pine, mirnu wattle or kuru yaku grass tree resin can be used for extra strength to adhere the stone in place. Stone axes have a sharp edge for cutting timber that is shaped by flaking or polishing the blade.

KANTAPI
Adze

Description
Kantapi is an adze constructed from either a sharp stone, quartz , bone or shell blade fixed to the end of a wooden stick using sinew and kuru yaku grass tree resin. Kantapi is used like a long handled chisel to shave timber or to scrape flesh of animals skins for bags and cloaks etc

KATHA
Digging Stick Club

Description
A katha is a long wooden stick used as a club, diggings stick and a walking stick by women. Katha can be used as a scraper for cleaning flesh off animal skins. The Katha is made from the timber of eucalyptus or acacia and has a bevelled edge at the bottom used for digging yams out of the ground.