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Born 1937 ( 1937 ) Weipa, Queensland, Australia Other names Thanakupi, Thanacoupie, Gloria Fletcher, Thanakupi, Dr Gloria Fletcher James AO Other name Thanakupi, Thanacoupie, Gloria Fletcher, Thanakupi, Dr Gloria Fletcher James AO Books Thanakupi's Guide to Language and Culture: A Thaynakwith Dictionary | ||
Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO (1937-2011) was an Australian ceramic artist, educator, linguist and elder of the Thaynakwith people in the Western Cape York area of far north Queensland. She was the last fluent speaker of the Thaynakwith language. She was also known as Thankupi, Thancoupie and Thanakupi.
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Early life
Thancoupie was born in 1937 at Weipa to Ida and Jimmy James and was given the name Thanakupi which means "wattle flower" in the Thaynakwith language. She was later given the name Gloria James at her baptism. She had a twin sister who died young.
Thancoupie grew up in the small Napranum community and attended the mission school there before studying ceramics in Sydney. In rediscovering her language, she adopted the name Thancoupie but she also used the variant spelling Thanakupi.
Career
Thancoupie has worked as a ceramic artist, story teller, educator, community leader, advocate, and negotiator. She began her career as a preschool children's educator while pursuing her art part-time. In 1969 she moved from far north Queensland to study art and ceramics at East Sydney Technical College.
Thancoupie together with the Tiwi potter Eddy Puruntatamerri, were founders of Australia’s Indigenous ceramic art movement. Thancoupie's work is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia as well as art galleries and museums in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Queensland. Eran 2010, a sculptural piece is at the entrance to the National Gallery of Australia. Thancoupie mounted more than 20 solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas.
Community leader and storyteller
Her life work has been recording the language and stories of the Thaynakwith people. She began telling her community's stories through clay, tile and other ceramic arts. She founded the Weipa Festival, a celebration of indigenous art and performance from all over Australia held at Weipa.
Works
Awards
Personal life
Thancoupie died in 2011 after a long illness, aged 74, at Weipa Base Hospital on Cape York.