Aboriginal Artists Series – Part 5

Samantha Jones is this week’s featured artist.  She is a self-taught painter of natural habitats. Born in 1974, Samantha belongs to the Yorta Yorta language group. Her great-grandfather, Thomas S. James, was a well-known preacher, famous naturopath and taught at Cummaragunja Mission in Victoria, Australia.

“Kangaroo 2” – Kangaroos are unique to Australia and are the largest marsupial surviving on earth. They are often found in both arid areas of open plains as well in dense forestland.  Kangaroos have a pouch to carry their young. Well-known for their movement, they hop on their hind legs while using their large muscular tail for balance. They also use their tail like an extra leg when maneuvering. Kangaroos and emus cannot walk backwards. For this reason, they both appear on the Australian Coat of Arms.

“Kookaburra” – Australian kookaburras are Australia’s largest bird within the king fisher family. They are mainly found in Eastern Australia, measuring 40-45 cm in height, of white or cream color on their bodies and heads and a dark brown stripe through each edge. The wings are black and brown with blue spots. They have a large head, small neck and a medium length tail.

“Laughing Kookaburra” comes from their most famous feature, the loud boisterous “laugh” often hard at dawn in the bush. In Australia, kookaburras are popularly known as  the “laughing jackass”. Breeding time is August to January. The females lay one to five eggs normally. Most of the birds live in family units and live in one place their whole life.

In Tasmania, kookaburras live in forests, woodlands and on the plains. One of the most loved birds in Australia, there are numerous rhymes and lyrics devoted to them.