“Weyera, Chief of the Hunter River” poses for a studio portrait

“Weyera, Chief of the Hunter River” poses for a studio portrait to be captured by well-known Sydney photographer, Charles Kerry. This is one of 150 portraits of senior Aboriginal men, scarified warriors, and stately Aboriginal women from northern Queensland to southern NSW. While Kerry frames his portraits in the language of the “Last of the Tribe” tradition, echoing an earlier portrait of Truganinni, these photographs may be read as Weyera’s expression of pride in cultural continuity and the survival of the Hunter Valley peoples.