Ganunda & Bagirang (Sugar Bag Bee Honey & Dugong) by Kieron Boona Anderson

When I was in my 20s, an uncle took me out on the bay to learn how to hunt dugong, a men’s practice normally forbidden to women. He shared what the old men had taught him, and I carry that knowledge with deep respect. I acknowledge his family for entrusting it to me.

This design reflects the dugong, the sacred men’s bag, the sugarbag bee and its hive, resources tied to my background in cheffing and the knowledge passed down through generations of men. Dugong and sugarbag honey are my favourite foods from sea and land, harvested only in the right season and never in excess. They nourish us, but they’re also powerful medicines; our community still uses dugong oil and sugarbag honey for healing. While everything from saltwater Country is sacred, these two hold special meaning for me.

The blues and vibrant yellow come together as a story of saltwater connection and the caretaking of knowledge - dugongs in the hunting grounds, the sacred men’s bag, the bee in flight, and the sacred geometry (Fibonacci) of the native sugarbag hive. I embed our traditional Gowar language into this design as we begin to revitalize the ancient language from Moreton Island.