Talwalpin and Kowinka by Sonja Carmichael

This design honours the cultural significance of native plants growing on Quandamooka Country: Talwalpin, cotton tree and Kowinka, red mangrove. The print pays tribute to Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s story of Talwalpin and Kowinka, published in her Stradbroke Dreamtime collection. In this story, Talwalpin and Kowinka represent relationships of deep interconnections between people and Country.  Sonja brings this story to life through her drawings of hibiscus flowers, woven nets made from Talwalpin’s fibres, and the distinctive mangrove pods of Kowinka. 

As told by Oodgeroo: Talwalpin with bright yellow flowers, grows in the sand and Kowinka stands in the water guarding Talwalpin, growing side by side - one on the bank and the other in the water, with the love they shared for one another so strong that they can never leave one another. This artwork continues the storytelling from past generations and transmission of rich cultural and lived experiences.