Alison Walker

Alison Walker is a proud woman of the Yuin people / Djiringandj heritage, who grew up at Wallaga Lake. Her totem is Umbarra the Black Duck, which is a powerful cultural emblem for her people. As Alison says, “my home is Wallaga Lake … My totem is Umbarra, the Black Duck … I take strength from my culture, which has been passed down to me through my Elders over many generations.”

Alison channels her deep connection to land, water, and Ancestral heritage through multiple creative expressions. Her practice includes painting, shell-work, and traditional dance — each piece infused with stories of the sea, mountains, animals, and the Dreaming passed down through generations. As a performer, she has danced with the female cultural troupe Djaadjawan Dancers, and in 2016 she founded the Djiringanj Dancers, a group based in Wallaga Lake that celebrates Yuin women’s stories and cultural expression through movement and song.

Alison has also played a key role in revitalising important cultural spaces for her community. Together with her sister, she helped reopen and restore the Umbarra Cultural Centre, a significant gathering place and gallery that had been closed for more than a decade. Through this work she has welcomed visitors, supported local artists, and created opportunities for cultural learning, storytelling, and community connection.

Alison’s art and cultural leadership reflect her deep responsibility to her ancestors and to the sacred lands that shape Yuin identity, including Gulaga and Biamanga places central to the women’s lore and spiritual traditions of her people.