Decoy ducks 'flown' home

Three carefully-painted duck decoys, designed for use in hunting by the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee community in South Australia have returned home.

They were created by Robert Joseph Tarby Mason, known as ‘Old Joey’ or ‘Uncle Tarby’, of the Nganguruku and Ngarkat language groups. He lived alongside the River Murray and was well known for this kind of work. The decoys have been in America for the last 50 years.

The duck decoys are based on Pacific Black Ducks which are common in the area and were made from fabric, stuffed and painted.

Elders remember “Uncle Tarby”, who was born on the banks of the River Murray as a man who enjoyed talking and sharing information about his culture and people.

In the 1940s local publican Donald Keith Cook purchased the three ducks and eventually passed them to his daughter, Jennifer Cook, who now lives in New York. Ms Cook remembers travelling with her father to purchase the decoys from ‘Uncle Tarby’ and hearing him speak of his ‘secret recipe’ for creating the ducks.

AIATSIS received the decoys in November 2021 from the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, which had held them under a temporary loan agreement.

A return event was held in Berri and was organised by the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) with assistance from South Australia Native Title Services and AIATSIS. Community representatives and local figures gathered to celebrate the handover and return.

‘River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation welcome the return of significant cultural heritage artefacts to the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee,’ RMMAC said on behalf of the community. ‘It has been a long and exciting journey waiting for the ducks to migrate back home.’

The three decoy ducks will be displayed in the RMMAC office in Berri.

The Hon Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, noted the significance of the return.

‘I commend AIATSIS for the work it has undertaken with the donor Jennifer Cook and the University of Virginia, USA to secure the return of these objects,’ Minister Burney said.

‘These little decoy ducks tell a fascinating story of Indigenous hunting practices in the River Murray and Mallee Regions of South Australia. The return after more than 50 years will support the transfer of cultural knowledge for future generations.’