Artwork

“Ngadlu Tirkandi” 
We Remember 

Created by Allan Sumner for the AAA Conference Adelaide 2026, this artwork welcomes delegates onto Kaurna Yerta, the ancestral lands of the Kaurna Miyurna, the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide Plains. 

Grounded in the conference theme, We Remember — Stories from the Past, Visions for the Future, the work speaks to memory, cultural continuity and shared responsibility to care for the stories held within Country. It invites those gathering on Kaurna land to reflect on how we walk alongside the knowledge of those who came before us, and how these stories continue to shape our future. 

At the centre of the artwork sits the Murlapaka, a traditional Kaurna shield made from the inner bark of a eucalyptus tree and recognised by its oval form. The shield represents strength, protection and cultural continuity. Positioned at the heart of the work, it reflects Tarntanya, the place of the male red kangaroo, known today as Adelaide, and symbolises the enduring spirit of Kaurna people and culture. It speaks to resilience and the responsibility to protect stories, knowledge and cultural authority carried through generations. 

Flowing through the artwork is Karrawirra Parri, the River Torrens, meaning “red gum forest river”. The river moves through the heart of Tarntanya as a living pathway of story, trade, ceremony and connection. Like archaeology, it carries layers of memory through time, linking past, present and future generations. 

The colours and textures reflect Kaurna Country, from the Adelaide Hills in the east to the coastal dunes and wetlands in the west. Rising within the landscape is Yurrebilla, the Kaurna name for Mount Lofty and Mount Bonython. These are the ears of the ancestor-creator Nganno, who travelled across Kaurna Country and, after being wounded in battle, lay down to die, forming the Mount Lofty Ranges. This story shows Country as living memory, where land, spirit and story are one. 

Layered throughout the work are references to middens, archaeological soils and cultural places beneath the city. These mark the deep time presence of Kaurna people and acknowledge both the richness and the impacts of colonisation on cultural heritage, including disturbance of sacred sites and burial grounds. The work also reflects ongoing efforts in truth-telling, repatriation and cultural care. 

Featured within the artwork is Tjilbruke, represented as the Glossy White Ibis. Tjilbruke speaks to grief, survival, law and renewal, and to the relationship between archaeology and Indigenous cultural knowledge. It acknowledges the work of Kaurna Heritage alongside archaeologists and anthropologists to protect ancestral remains and care for cultural landscapes with respect and responsibility. 

This artwork reflects archaeology as a meeting place of story, science, spirit and responsibility. It calls for Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to sit together, guided by respect, ethics and cultural authority, so that stories are remembered and shared in a good way. 

As delegates gather on Kaurna Country for the AAA Conference Adelaide 2026, the work invites listening, respect and reflection. In remembering together, we honour the past and carry responsibility for a future grounded in care for Country, culture and community. 

My name is Allan Sumner.

I am a proud Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Yankunytjatjara man and the founder of ACA Studios, an Aboriginal-led creative studio based on Kaurna Yarta. 

This artwork is my cultural expression and is grounded in my knowledge, identity and responsibilities as a Kaurna man. I retain cultural, intellectual and moral rights over this work. The stories, symbols and cultural knowledge contained within it remain the cultural and intellectual property of the artist and Kaurna people.