The Healing Coolamon

A unique coolamon created by Kaurna and Permanangk man Uncle Ivan Tiwu-Copley has been recognised as an item of cultural significance by the National Museum of Australia.In 2018 Mr Copley created ‘The Healing Coolamon’ to mark the 10th Anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.The piece was taken from a 400-year-old Red Gum tree in the Campbelltown City Council and over about 100 hours of work was chiselled and hand scraped into a smooth coolamon shape.Mr Copley said that the coolamon “represented the cradle and so many mother’s arms that were left empty after children were removed”.The Healing Coolamon now appears in the Ngulla Wellamunagaa exhibition in Canberra. The exhibition celebrates the survival, continuity and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as told through stories affirming ongoing connections to Country.Each story demonstrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit, as voiced by the people themselves.The exhibition is presented by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and is supported by the National Museum of Australia. It is open until 31 March 2020.For further information visit: https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/ngulla-wellamunagaa


SANTS acknowledges that the land on which our office is based is the traditional lands for the Kaurna people and we respect their spiritual and cultural relationship with their country.