Melanie Hava

Born: 04/05/1981
Lives/Works: Cairns
Clan/Language:Wari-barra and Dugul-barra

Biography

Hava’s Aboriginal name is Winden (green pigeon) and through her mother she is a descendant of the Dugulbarra and Waribarra clans of Mamu people from the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland and the adjoining Great Barrier Reef Sea country. In traditional times, the Dugulbarra clan occupied the northern scrub country of the South Johnstone River around Jordan Creek (dugul means thick scrub). The Dugulbarra clan are Gumbugan (Cassowary) people, once distinguished by the red and yellow plumage adorning their head-dresses. Her Waribarra clan once lived in the densely forested deep gorges of the Upper Johnstone River (wari means deep gorge) and northwards along Palmerston Highway to Millaa Millaa. Hava’s father is from Austria’s oldest city named Enns (Upper Austria) and she occasionally incorporates patterns, gold leaf and Swarovski crystal in her works to reflect her European heritage. Her works reveal a unique composition employing borrowed and inherited styles. She has exhibited at regional galleries including Mount Isa, Toowoomba, Yowah and Cairns since 2005, and is represented by a gallery in the Netherlands.