Mayála - spiralling stories - strengthening spirit

 

 

The spiral seashell is the representation of Mayála.
A symbol flowing from saltwater homelands in West Arnhem Land.
It speaks of journeys through ocean currents, the ebb and flow of tides, and the quiet strength found in movement, change, and return.

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Each shell is shaped by its environment, made resilient by time.
No two are the same, each one beautiful, layered, and carrying its own story. They are beautiful and unique in each of their ways.

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These shells were once gathered by our ancestors and piled in ancient middens.
They were not just remnants of meals, but markers of knowledge-sharing, of survival,
of family gathered at the shoreline to harvest seafood and bushfood,
to exchange wisdom and teach through story.

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In Mayála, the spiral becomes a living metaphor.
Each curve represents another layer of understanding, a growing map of teachings, relationships, and memory. It spirals outward, echoing our vision of personal and community connection for growth, grounded in ancestry as we each find our self-determined paths.

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It also symbolises safety and reflection,
the holding spaces that Mayála nurtures for healing, listening, and learning.
Just like the ocean - mysterious, vast, and full of memory,
The spiral reminds us of the importance of connection, self & place.

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Noni Eather