The Stolen Generations Alliance logo and webpage artwork was based on and inspired by an artwork “Thumbprint’ by artist Lindsay Bunn.

Lindsay Bunn

My name is Lindsay Bunn and I have heritage with both the Malak Malak people of the Daly River in the Top End and the Gurindji people of Wave Hill region. I was born and raised in Darwin, and have only been painting contemporary Aboriginal Art for a few years. Only recently I thought it was about time to show it to the world, not just my family and friends.

Both of my mother’s grandmothers were full blooded Aboriginal people who married foreigners from overseas. My mother’s mother was taken away from her traditional family and land and put into the Croker Island mission run by one of the churches and was one of the children who walked the Continent during the Bombing of Darwin and ended up in NSW.

Her father’s family was also part of the evacuation and ended up in SA, where both parents died shortly after which left all five children orphaned. Both of my mother’s parents were of mixed races. I see this as the beginning of the new Australian race of people: those that embody the oldest living culture and one of the most modern cultures in the world.

I have a culture, I have a story, I have totems, and I have a Dreaming and it’s with you I want to share it.

Thumbprint

This painting can be about many things; a thumbprint holding the story lines of our lives, our identity, our individuality, our common humanity. The inspiration for creating this artwork was partially based on the stories I have heard of my grandmother’s lives and even my parent’s lives. Being removed from culture has meant they needed to question and in some ways recreate their identity between two cultures.

Thumbprints were also used instead of a written signature. Many of our people who gave their thumbprint did not know this was counted as a legal signature. It was one of the ways in which Aboriginal parents were tricked into signing over their children without realizing they were legally giving them away.

Thumbprints have also been used to identify and control people in the British justice system which has been enforced on our people since the arrival of the First Fleet in our country.