Weelan - Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo by Jimmi in Melbourne

Weelan - Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo on a sunset sky. Created for the WRAD Public Art Project, Warrnambool. Weelan, the yellow tailed black cockatoo, is a significant totem or moiety ancestor for the Gunditjmara and Maar Nation people. This ancestral being is also known locally as Kapatj, Gamadj, Wilan and Wotan, the latter two being an imitation of its call. For Maar and Mara people, the call of the black cockatoo foretold the approach of friends. In documented Kee Wurrung meteorology, the dark segment of sky in blue-grey beneath the pink/orange antitwilight arch to the East is called Kappiheear puuron, or 'black cockatoo twilight'. These birds signify the coming of rain and are also believed to be the guides and guardians of the spirits of loved ones on their journey to rest amongst the Ancestors.