"Wintinganhu (sister-in-law)" 2023

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Teho Ropeyarn 

Born 1988, Mount Isa, Kalkadoon Country. Angkamuthi and Yadhaykana. Lives and works in Gimuy/Cairns, Yirrganydji, Djabuganydji, Yidinji, Gunggandji Country.

Pronouns: he/him

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"Wintinganhu (sister-in-law)" 2023 

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vinyl cut prints on paper, pvc foam core, sound
 

Audio title: The role of a Marigeth
 

Speaker: Jennifer Ropeyarn
 

07:35 minutes
 

Courtesy of the artist and Onespace Gallery, Brisbane. 
 

Sound recording: Phil Schouteten, Phish Creative. Print assistance: David Jones, master printmaker, Corvine Art.

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Wintinganhu (sister-in-law) honours Teho Ropeyarn’s mother Jennifer Ropeyarn with a tribute to the Cape York lily. The lily is a significant symbol for the artist, linked to memories of time spent with family along the coastal areas around Injinoo in Cape York. The flowering turmeric is from the ginger family and hails from Ropeyarn’s Country. The lily design appears repeatedly throughout the print, where each piece is individually cut to outline the shape of the flower and then collaged together, resembling a circular bouquet. In this artwork, Ropeyarn connects family, Country and culture, making manifest his belonging to the Injinoo community.

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Wintinganhu (sister-in-law) pays homage to the significant role and cultural responsibility that Jennifer Ropeyarn holds in the Ropeyarn family as Marigeth (Spirit Hands). Jennifer, from Great Keppel Island and K’gari, married Ropeyarn's father, George Martin Ropeyarn, in 1985. George’s cultural obligations predetermined a specific cultural role for Jennifer. As the in-law, she has inherited the cultural responsibility of Marigeth, who represents the hands that look after the spirit. Jennifer was responsible for organising all components of funeral services for bereaved families in the community. Her duty was not finished until the last floral wreath of Cape York lillies was placed on the grave. Jennifer recounts her significant role as Marigeth in the accompanying story.