Kaarakin, The Black Cockatoo Man

 Meet the artist -  Jason Bropho

Jason Bropho is from the Whadjuk, Balladong and Gidja tribes. He is based in Perth and handpaints his artwork, layering and blending colours to share his family Culture.  

Jason worked from his home studio to paint the detail of each art panel to share the story of the Cockatoo Man. The colours used in the paintings are derived from the red of the fire season and the scarlet of banksia blooms.

 About the Art

MAKURU (June — July) is the season of fertility that brings the first heavy rains, when the Scarlett Banksia blooms.

Fire is very important during this season, a useful resource for food preparation, for making tools and for hunting and driving game, for warmth and signalling. Fattier red-meat animals such as the yonga (kangaroo) and weitj (emu) are hunted at this time of year, as they walk across boodjar.

The Noongar names for birds often come from their calls. Next time when you hear a bird call, think about their name in Noongar. Karrakin (Forest Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo) acquired its red tail markings on its tail from Ngolak (Carnaby or White-Tailed Cockatoo).

The Black Cockatoo Dreamtime storyline was passed down to me by my great-grandmother Isobel Leyland - Bropho and my grandmother Gladys Bropho, the youngest of the twelve kids from Isobel and my great grandfather Thomas Bropho.

When the hot heat sets in, the land becomes dry and fragile, crumbling the earth to a dusty format. The animals and plants look to the skies for the Cockatoo Man to fly over. When the Cockatoo Man transforms into the cockatoo, he will come and scream and shout out loud, KARAAKIN, KARAAKIN, MIDJAL, MIDJAL, rain coming, rain coming.

Once the Black Cockatoo Man flies over, there will be a flush of wind against the trees. All the land animals and plants know the rain is coming. And it then appears, the rain, MIDJAL. It fills the water ways, swamps and creeks to bring life to the all the creatures and plants.