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Nawarlah – Brown River Stingray

We hunt the Nawarlah (Brown River Stingray) during the wet season.  There is a plant with a yellow flower that tells us that it is the right time.  We know it will be fat. 

It is well known that Aboriginal art often depicts images of sacred totems or dreamings of Aboriginal culture. However, the world of the non-sacred also provides a rich source of subject matter for Aboriginal art. Much of the rock art of western Arnhem Land for example features secular topics such as common food animals and plants, depicted because of their economic importance but also merely because of their existence in the environment.

Name: Basma Nulla


Language: Gun-nartpa


Community: Maningrida


Biography:

Basma is a young weaving artist who lives at Ji-balbal outstation; about a 1 hour drive from Maningrida. Basma live at Ji-balbal all year even during the wet season when the outstation can get cut off from Maningrida township due to rising rivers. 

She was taught to weave by her aunts, senior and expert weavers Anniebell Marrngamarrnga and Dorothy Bunibuni . She has been given permission to weave Nawarlah (Brown River Stingray) and Yawkyawk which she weaves in pattern of bright and bold natural colour patterns.


© the artist / art centre