Pearling Lugger Shell, by Butcher Joe Nangan (dec)

In this exquisitely carved ‘story shell’, Butcher Joe Nangan depicts Marala, an ancestral figure from Bugarrigarra, alert and watching the arrival of the first pearlers to Broome. It is a record that can't be found in any archive as there are no records of first contacts with pearlers, who were the first Europeans to land on the foreshore of Roebuck Bay. As a senior Nyikina man, Nangan became a prolific artist and songman, the custodian of legends, songlines and nurlu (ceremonial dances). He created hundreds of pencil and watercolour drawings and pearlshell engravings of dreamtime and historical events. His works are now held in collections around the world. The Broome Museum has several of his shells on display.