I want to begin telling you the story of Olono.

Olono was formed from the land and is of the land, her name means hill here in Australia.

Her mother is Nerida, the waterlily, who had fallen in love with Birwain. Nerida’s has her own tragic story, suffice to say its important to pick waterlilies and bulrushes together.Being a waterlily, Nerida sleeps all night and blooms each day to see Birwain.

Occasionally she would glimpse the Moon and they would wave and chat during the sparse times they would see each other. Nerida would often talk about her young daughter Olono, she was worried that being so beautiful and shapely Olono may be lured terribly by men. The Moon would often talk about how he continues to search for his lost wife and child, and was very lonely on his travels since leaving the Earth to find them. So they decided Olono would join the Moon as his adopted daughter thereby protecting Olono while keeping the Moon company on his travels.So here begins Olono’s journey as she prepares to join the Moon.

Being of the land she has grown into a very shapely young woman with textures from the landscape around her and eyes the deep color of the waterholes her mother lives in. At night her skin becomes so silvery silent during the moonlight, its nearly impossible to see her rich red earthy tones. In preparing for her new life with the Moon, Olono decides to select two colors to take with her, an earthy red from her land and watery green from Nerida’s home.

The time to join the Moon is coming later this month when he is nearby but she still has much to do before leaving her home!

 

 

Meanwhile everyone is excited here and are making parting gifts from the land around her. Nerida has finished her floral crown, Macalla is hard at work making something yet again, and Birwain as always will provide some bulrushes to adjoin the flowers. There is no stopping this girl! With Olono getting ready for the next near moon, Macalla is busy gathering Olono’s favorite forest items to make a parting gift. She feels so sad Olono is moving to the moon and wonders if she will ever see her again.

 

 

 

And she is finished! A wonderful chair for Olono made from her favorite native vine plus a little cushion with more local flowers.

Well this has pissed little Macalla off! The Girl with no name sat on Olono’s new chair without asking, and looking rather pleased with herself.

 

 

Finally, after waiting two long months

It was whispered the Moon was coming nearest the Earth where Olono would wait so he could sweep her up to join him as her daughter. Olono’s mother Nerida had barely seen the Moon since this was decided, being a waterlily, her eyes closed long before the Moon shone over recent months.

Olono, her family and friends had busied themselves in the meantime collecting her favorite things to pack, and preparing some beautiful gifts from the land .. no-one knew how long it would be before she came close enough home again. The Moon travelled afar looking for his lost wife and child hence Olono was joining him as company. Her beauty was radiant like the Moon and her feminine shapes had developed like the hills from which she was born, but her heart was still that of a quiet young woman.

Macalla as we know, wove a beautiful chair for Olono from the native sarsaparilla vine that grew on the hills complete with a pillow from desert flannel flowers. Nerida had made a crown of ore and waterlilies to help Olono shine with the stars and her true love Birwain had collected a beautiful bundle of ore bulrushes, as you can never have flowers without bulrushes. Olono herself had selected the colors to join her; a deep green-blue from her mother’s home, the waterhole, and red ochre from the earth which made her a hill (hence her name).

 

 

Nerida hoped her eyes would stay open long enough to see her daughter be swept up by the Moon. She wanted Birwain to watch everything went ok but he only ever had eyes for his true love Nerida.

Such a beautiful and sad tale of what unfolded between these two young loves when they didn’t listen to the Elders warnings to stay away from the waterhole. A long time ago as teenagers they used to sneak away to meet by the waterhole not realising Warwhee the water monster also watched and grew to desire the human Nerida, so much he eventually stole her away. This devasted the young Birwain who sat by the waterhole everyday mourning the loss of his true love, but a story for another day as we await the Moon.

 

So a story yet unfinished …

Always the artist, Dina.

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About Olono

  • Resin 40cm doll by artist Marmite Sue
  • Wig, faceup and body paint by Dina
  • Chair, crown and accessories by Dina

About Macalla

  • Resin 20cm doll with wig by artist Lidia Snul
  • Faceup and clothes by Dina

About Girl with No Name

  • Resin 40cm doll by artist Marmite Sue
  • Wig, faceup and body paint by Marmite Sue
  • Clothes by Dina

About Nerida and Birwain

  • Original Australian dreamtime story by aboriginal elders
  • Variation and story of Olono by Dina

For sale – my chairs and doll art

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