Lilla Watson facts for kids

Lilla Watson (born in 1940) is an important Indigenous Australian artist, activist, and teacher. She is a Murri woman, which is a term for Aboriginal people from Queensland. Lilla Watson has worked to support women's rights and to share Aboriginal knowledge and ways of thinking.

Lilla Watson's Early Life and Activism

Lilla Watson is a Gangulu woman. She grew up in the Dawson River area of Central Queensland, which is her mother's family land. In the late 1960s, Watson moved to Brisbane. There, she and her family became well-known for their involvement in the Indigenous community. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Queensland.

How Lilla Watson Advocated for Aboriginal Rights

After finishing her studies, Lilla Watson worked at the University of Queensland for ten years. For six of those years, she taught about Aboriginal Welfare Studies in the Social Work Department. She created courses that included Aboriginal perspectives. She also served as a member of the University Senate, which is like a governing body for the university.

Watson was the first president of the Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agency. She also helped start the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association. In the late 1980s, she was a member of the Aboriginal and Islander Independent School Board. She has also advised many government and non-government groups.

Lilla Watson's Art Career

After leaving her teaching job in the 1990s, Lilla Watson started creating her own unique art. She makes "burnings" by scorching hundreds of holes into layers of paper. Many of her artworks are inspired by traditional Aboriginal art and the beautiful landscapes of Queensland.

Watson says her art shows an "ants eyeview." This means she looks up through roots and leaves from under the ground. She looks up through the earth, which she calls "the Land." Through her art, Watson shares her cultural and spiritual identity. Her works are admired both in Australia and around the world.

Public Artworks and Recognition

Lilla Watson has expanded her art over the years. She has created collaborative works, like Soft Night Falling (2005) with saxophonist Tim O'Dwyer. Her public artworks can be seen in important places. These include the New State Library in Brisbane, the Roma Street Parkland, and the new Brisbane Magistrates Court (2004). In 2015, the Queensland University of Technology gave her an honorary doctorate. This is a special award for her achievements.

Lilla Watson's Famous Quote

Lilla Watson is often linked to a powerful quote:

If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.

But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

This quote has become a motto for many activist groups. It is used in Australia and other places. Watson shared this quote at the 1985 United Nations Decade for Women Conference in Nairobi. However, she has explained that the quote's idea came from an Aboriginal Rights group in Queensland in the early 1970s. Because of this, she does not feel she is the only author.

In 2019, the University of Queensland, where Watson studied, gave her an Indigenous Community Impact Award. This award recognized her important work as a teacher, artist, and activist.