Priscilla Major

Kokoberra

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Priscilla, known by her bush name Ma Cheltrulalie, is a proud Kokoberra woman and cultural custodian of the Mitchell River region of Cape York. Her ancestral lands span the Kowanyama region, where her people are the traditional owners, and her bloodline extends to the surrounding country of Normanton. Born at Dunbar Station, a cattle station near Kowanyama, Priscilla belongs to the Lightning, Sour Yam, and Shark clan groups, with the Shark as her spiritual totem symbolising strength, instinct, and connection to the sea.

A fluent speaker of her language, Kokoberra, and neighbouring groups, Priscilla is deeply grounded in ancestral knowledge, including traditional customs, ceremonies, and the experience of living, hunting and understanding ancestral connection to path ngatherruw, our land. A profound relationship to ngatherruw, land shapes her voice and vision, one that informs her artistic expression and community leadership.

Her creative and cultural contributions have been featured in significant events such as the Story Place Exhibition in Brisbane, the Dreaming Festival on the Sunshine Coast, and the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF). Each appearance reflects her commitment to preserving and celebrating Indigenous culture through art, performance, and storytelling.

Since becoming a Director of UMI Arts in 2005, Priscilla has shared her knowledge to empower younger generations. Her work is a call to remember, reconnect, and honour the old ways, ensuring that language, law/lore continue to inspire and guide the future. Ma Cheltrualie is the name founder of Umi’s Big Talk One Fire.