Art and Object collection
This collection reflects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expression.

rikawa (bull kelp) is a valued resource for the Pakana (Tasmanian Aboriginal) community, respected for its medicinal properties and nutritious sustenance, as well as for its material practicality. rikawa was ingeniously used as a food source, and for crafting baskets and water carriers. The use of rikawa for making water carriers is a technique that has been passed down over hundreds of generations in lutruwita (Tasmania) and these vessels were essential to the survival of Pakana people. Vicki West is continuing this ancestral legacy and experimenting with the versatility of rikawa in her work. As a Trawlwoolway woman from the north-east coast of the island, the symbology of rikawa in West’s work expresses not only her connection to its coastlines but to cultural memory and identity. Known for her use of rikawa in contemporary installations that draw attention to the disrespect for the natural environment and subsequent endangerment of natural resources, this more intimate piece, Kelp necklace, is a subtle metaphor of survival and resilience. Kelp necklace reflects West’s respect and memory of Elders who taught her the processes of collecting and using rikawa, and its close relationship with the iconic Pakana tradition of collecting and stringing shells into necklaces. Kelp necklace personifies a chain, each piece of rikawa a link connecting generations of her ancestors to the impressive, but now threatened, kelp beds linked around the island of lutruwita. The use of rikawa to create body adornment acknowledges the dynamism and creativity of Pakana people and also reflects a unique cultural expression of identification, connection to the spiritual realm and protection. Many forms of body adornment and amulets were worn in Pakana culture as markers of identity and for protection against illness.West elevates the knowledge of the protective powers and honours rikawa for the vitamins and minerals it contains, and the role it played in Pakana health and survival. In this way, West’s Kelp necklace spans multiple dimensions as a form of symbolic, spiritual and cultural expression. - Zoe Rimmer, Senior Curator of Indigenous Cultures at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)