Barku - Nassau River

By Shaun Edwards

2026

45 x 65 cm

Acrylic paint and gold leaf on linen canvas

Barku the Kokoberrin language name for the Nassau River. For countless generations, stringy bark was carefully harvested and shaped into lightweight bark canoes that enabled safe travel across rivers, lagoons, and floodplains. These vessels formed an essential part of life on Country, connecting families to hunting grounds, fishing places, and ceremonial sites.

The bark canoe was particularly important during the seasonal abundance of the wetlands, allowing people to move quietly through swamps to collect geese eggs and harvest other foods.

This work celebrates the knowledge systems that sustained Kokoberrin families for generations and acknowledges the enduring cultural connection between the Nassau River and its people.

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