Trade between the Yolgnu and MakassansTrade between the Yolgnu and Makassans 

The Yolgnu people are Aboriginal people from north-eastern Arnhem land in the Northern Territory.

Before travellers from Europe mapped these waters, trade was common between people from this area and fishermen from Asia. Each year the Makassans sailed from Makassar in Indonesia to Yolgnu Country to catch and trade trepang (sea cucumbers). The trepang were cooked in sea water, then dried or smoked, before being transported and sold as a popular food and medicine in China. The Makassans also traded other useful materials to the Yolgnu such as metal and cloth.

The Makassans had an influence on Yolgnu culture. The Yolgnu people made song lines about their visits, introduced Makassan words into their language, and there is evidence of cross-cultural marriages.

The Australian government forced the cultural exchange between the Yolgnu and Makassans to end in 1901 when it introduced the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. The last Makassan traders visited Yolgnu shores in 1907.

Have a look at the Map of Indigenous Australia on the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website. Find the land of the Yolgnu people, in what we now call the Northen Territory.  Makassan traders visited many different groups of people in this part of Australia. 

Now look at a map of the word in your classroom or on the internet. Find the country Indonesia, where the Makassans lived, and trace where they sailed to trade with people along the north coast of Australia and then up to China. 

As a class, look closer at The Makassans - the Muldi by Wainburranga (Paddy Fordham) on the museum's collection website. 

Can you find:

• Rembarrnga and Makassan people meeting and exchanging goods.
• People collecting and preparing the trepang 
• Makassan boats (perahu) full of trepang

The lobster in the artwork symbolises the abundance of food in the area. What other animals can you see? 

This artwork, painted in 1991, is a modern representation of a story that has been passed down for generations.  Makassan perahu also appear in rock art in Arnhem Land, near where this trade occurred. 

Think about a story that has been passed down to you; it could be something from your family, a story from history, or a story you were told as a child (like a fairy tale). Create a storyboard telling this story using a series of images, like Wainburranga did in this artwork.