IB Woman
Issue No. 40 - April/ /
Silk magic woman
by Penelope Herbert
You have to know where you come from to know where you are and know where you’re going. You have to know your identity in order to grow.
Muriel Van Der Byl (Mumthelang) AM is a storyteller. As a Yarraldi Aboriginal elder with ancestral ties to the Kuarna and Laitji Laitji, her stories involve the recent truths and historical mythology surrounding the aboriginal people, predominantly in South Australia.
Highly regarded for her creativity and social activism, Muriel became a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 for her services to the Indigenous community through the promotion of art and culture and as an advocate for social justice.
Learning Aboriginal stories, weaving and carving techniques from her Karpany family, Muriel’s artistic talents were part of her heritage, not viewed as a potential career. Marrying a Dutchman with artistic leanings and a TV career, Art Van Der Byl, 43 years ago, Muriel embarked on a life of motherhood, social work with the Aboriginal community and occasional social activism.
Over the ensuing years, Muriel’s paintings decorated household items, such as pots and pans, and then clothing for friends such as denim jackets & jeans and even basketball boots.
It wasn’t until the 25th Anniversary of the 1967 referendum in the mid 1980s that Muriel’s talent, and activism, gained a more public profile when, for the first time in her life, she set foot in the South Australian Art Gallery.
“I had designed a poster for the anniversary and asked the Gallery Director, Ron Radford, if I and some artistic friends could do something to promote and remember the 1967 referendum,” Muriel explains, “ but we did promise we wouldn’t do anything to embarrass him.
“We set up outside the Gallery and wouldn’t allow entry to people with blue eyes or blonde hair unless they denounced their Caucasian status for that day. The vast majority of people, including my friend Anne...
