This page includes information about Yitpi Tukutya Purtu Pari (The Spirit of the Riverbeds), an artwork created by Tikana Telfer to sit alongside a report on the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Workforce Development Project led by WellMob and Emerging Minds.
Titled Walking together: Co-created workforce development strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, the report explores activities, findings and recommendations related to Phase 1 of the project.
The story of the artwork
Woven and written by Tikana Telfer
This artwork carries the story of our people, our Country and the enduring connections that hold us together across generations.
The river flows through it, with ripples and dried riverbeds tracing the paths of water, a reminder of the life it sustains, the times it withdraws, and the memory it leaves etched in the land. The wodlis (homes) surround the mats, where our people gather to share language, stories and knowledge, keeping family, kinship, and Community alive and strong.
The figures of our people within the spirit remind us that our Ancestors, our protectors and the spirits of those who came before are still with us and live within us, guiding our steps and shaping our paths.
The spirit itself carries the riverbed patterns and the prints of our DNA – mirrored in the trees and on our hands, connecting us to Country, to each other and to the wisdom of those who have walked before us.
Above, the stars and constellations map the sky, holding creation stories that deeply root us to our history, to our cultural and social identities, and to the struggles and triumphs of our people across generations. These celestial patterns guide us politically and spiritually, reminding us of our sovereignty, our resilience and the responsibility we carry to care for Country, culture and each other.
Every element – the water, ripples, dried riverbeds, the mats, wodlis, Ancestors, Spirits and the constellations – is woven together in a living tapestry that speaks to belonging, to interconnection, and to the mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of our people. It is a safe landing; a place where our people, our stories and our Country are honoured, remembered and kept alive, offering guidance, strength and hope for the generations to come.
Symbols in the artwork
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This symbol represents a woven mat, emobodying the spirit of Community, where stories, culture and knowledge are shared. It represents a wodli (home), a place of rest and belonging.
A mat begins in the hands of one person, but its weaving grows with Community. Some steady the threads, others pull them forward, each hand adding to the story, the connection and the life of our people.
The wodli, and symbols of our people encircling the mat and river, speak of the bonds that keep us connected to family, kin and Community. |
| This represents the water in our river. Flowing and calm, it carries the dual spirit of water. A single drop, endless ripples; this symbol carries the language of water.
The dots carry the story of the dried rivers. They map the veins of the rivers now gone, holding the silence where water once sang.
The ripples and dry symbols are woven into a river that flows through this artwork, showing water’s connection to all. |
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Our Ancestors, spirits and protectors are held within this symbol. This spirit carries the story of this artwork. The markings on the spirit’s face and bosy carry our DNA to Country and to each other – the same pattern that lives within our old trees and on us (fingerprint). Within our creation stories, spirits carry cultural meaning and connection; they have a connection to every language group in Australia. The people within the spirit represent us, their presence still with us and living within us. This spirit holds the riverbed pattern, intertwining the traces of water with our Ancestors, our people and Country. |
| This pattern embodies Country in all its forms – the riverbeds that dry and crack during seasonal change, the hills that rise in quiet strength when seen from above, the flowing sand dunes shaped by wind and time. It carries the memory of the land, the spirit of the earth and the stories of those who have walked on and cared for it. Through this pattern, the land speaks of life, resilience and the connection between Country and people. It reminds us that every ridge, every curve, every line holds a story, a song and a spirit that lives within us as we walk upon and protect this land. |  |
About the artist
Tikana Telfer is a young Kaurna, Narungga, Ngalea and Kokatha custodian, carrying Country, language, and culture forward as a young bearer of the oldest continuing culture in the world.
Dancing from the age of two, Tikana’s creative practice flows across visual art, design, and architectural projects, shaping spaces and experiences with First Nations knowledge at their core.
Her work includes the Adelaide Airport windows, the playground at Glenthorne National Park, the design of Lot Fourteen Hub and the inaugural AFLW Indigenous Guernsey, alongside experience in logo and architectural design.
Deeply rooted on Country, Tikana demonstrates how Indigenous perspectives and culture can guide and transform design, turning spaces into living, vibrant expressions of heritage, ancient dreaming and contemporary creativity.