Upper Fortescue Marsh

John Sara

$3,650.00

This painting depicts the upper Fortescue Marsh — the father’s Country of John Sara, Banyjima Country in the Pilbara region of north-western Australia. The circles within the painting symbolise places of historical and cultural significance connected to his family’s identity.

John Sara’s parents were part of the Stolen Generations, forcibly removed from their loving families and traditional lands. The devastating effects of this separation have rippled through generations of the family. Both parents were institutionalised at Sister Kate’s Orphanage in Perth, where they met, married and later had nine children.

Due to the policies of the Stolen Generations, the family was denied information about their Aboriginal ancestry. Over more than 30 years, John Sara and his wife travelled through Banyjima Country, tracing family history, visiting places of significance and reconnecting with relatives, community and Country.