Madjeri

Madjeri (pronounced mud-jer-ee) is the Dharawal word for canoe or small floating vessel ...

... Dharawal Country extends from Sydney Harbour, down to the Shoalhaven, and as far west as the Campbelltown area. Our old people camped along the shores of Sydney Harbour, where they fished, dived, danced and made objects such as madjeri. The madjeri on display were created by Aboriginal people with an unbroken ancestral and cultural connection to coastal Sydney. These vessels were made under the guidance of Gweagal clan leader Uncle Rod Mason and with the support of the Gamay Rangers. They are a testament to the resilience of our old people and our connection to our Country. They are a window into our vibrant culture, which has been continually practised on our Country since time began.

Gujaga Foundation, 2024

Museums of History NSW is committed to empowering First Nations people and communities. Following the guiding principle of First Peoples first, we value and promote the voices, stories and history of First Nations people. MHNSW has worked closely with the Gujaga Foundation, the peak organisation leading language, cultural and research activities within the La Perouse community, to share their stories and cultural connections through madjeri.

This short film about the madjeri project was produced by Museums of History NSW in collaboration with Gujaga Foundation and the Gamay Rangers

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000

Museum of Sydney

Corner Phillip and Bridge streets, Sydney NSW 2000
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  • Now on display

The first three decades (decade 3), Coomaditchie artists and community members, 2022, acrylic on unstretched canvas, 302cm x 213.5 cm. 
Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation
Now showing
Featured exhibition

Coomaditchie: The Art of Place

Experience community life by the ocean through the works of First Nations artists in Coomaditchie: The Art of Place at the Museum of Sydney. These loving and lyrical artworks, which include paintings, ceramics and screen-prints, speak of life in and around the settlement of Coomaditchie, its history, ecology and local Dreaming stories

Saturday 30 March
Cast in cast out, Denis Golding, 2020, epoxy resin, iron oxides, concrete, acrylic, edition etching rag
Closing soon
Featured display

Cast in cast out

An evocative artwork by Sydney-based Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding

Saturday 16 March
Ngaya (I am)
Closing soon
Featured exhibition

Ngaya (I am)

‘A cut-and-paste, punked-up look at my Country’ is how Peter Waples-Crowe describes his video installation, a self-portrait of the artist as a queer Ngarigo person from the Snowy Mountains region of south-eastern NSW

Saturday 16 March

First Nations stories

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Coomaditchie Lagoon
First Nations

Coomaditchie: The Art of Place

The works of the Coomaditchie artists speak of life in and around the settlement of Coomaditchie, its history, ecology and local Dreaming stories

Handpainted image from book of woman in canoe. Margins of page visible on left and right.
First Nations

A fisher woman of Warrane

Daringa’s short but fascinating life reflects the connection of coastal Aboriginal peoples to the water, and the key role played by women in the fishing economy

Dennis Golding Cast in Cast out at the Museum of Sydney

Cast in cast out: recasting fragments of memory

An in-depth look at Dennis Golding's experiences and childhood memories of growing up in ‘The Block’

[First Government House, Sydney] / watercolour drawing by John Eyre
Museum stories

First encounters

The Museum of Sydney is built on and around a site that links us to the very beginnings of modern Australia