Bayini is a female spiritual guardian figure central to the beliefs of some Yolngu clans in north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. For Abdi Karya it has connections with the Macassan word ‘Baine’, meaning ‘woman’. Karya offers his performance as a paean to all women – ‘the keepers and protectors of wisdom and memories’.

Cotton cloth, one of the many useful and beautiful elements introduced into Yolngu life by Macassans, is acknowledged by Karya in his performance and installation in his use of cotton fabric dyed with tamarind pods. In his home country in Macassar, and in wider Sulawesi, the tamarind tree is perceived as a mother figure: its tangy fruits are a vitamin-rich, seasonal food, and its wide, spreading branches form a protective space where people can share knowledge and care for each other. The tamarind trees introduced into northern, coastal Australia by the Macassans witnessed their developing relationship with Yolngu and, after some hundreds of years, remain part of daily life; celebrated annually in manikay (sacreds songs) and ceremonies remembering the Yolngu/Macassan relationship.

During his Baine/Bayini performance, Karya takes lengths of cloth, used by both peoples for clothing and wrapping, and forms 15 small figures representative of both cultures and their shared humanity. Baine/Bayini was produced by Karya in collaboration with emerging artist Timun Laut, who is part of an artists’ collective in Yogyakarta who pursue themes of family and history in their work.