Yangga Dyata- Walking on Country

The Horsham Silo Art, created by Smug in May 2022, tells the story of Yanggendyinanyuk, a notable figure in the Wimmera region of Victoria. It is located in the agricultural infrastructure of the Horsham Silo and Flour Mill

The artwork title, Yangga Dyata - Walking on Country focusses on the life of Yanggendyinanyuk (Yang-gen-jin-a-nyook), which means ‘his walking feet’ in Wergaia language.

Yanggendyinanyuk was a skilled tracker, talented cricketer, and cultural exponent. Yanggendyinanyuk had many talents. He was selected as one of thirteen Aboriginal men from western Victoria to form the first Australian cricket team to tour England. He possessed remarkable running and throwing skills.

Tied together with the adjacent flour mill image of Yanggendyinanyuk’s totem the Black Cockatoo the images portray the strong linkage to country that the region has.

Horsham Rural City Council (HRCC) & Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC), commissioned Juddy Roller street art company to engage world renowned street artist ‘SMUG’ to transform Horsham’s silo and flour mill as a tribute to former Wotjobaluk Aboriginal warrior Yanggendyinanyuk.

I particularly like that Smug’s hometown is as close to Horsham as you can get in size and similarities, and it’s name ‘Nowra’ even translates to “Black Cockatoo”, so Smug felt very at home throughout the installation of the mural.

(Adapted from various sources: http://siloarttrail.com; https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com; https://www.hrcc.vic.gov.au )