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Dilly Bag

Kun-madj, or dilly bag, is a large woven collecting basket. These large bags are often made from the vine Malasia scandens, a strong pliable plant which grows along the floor and into the canopy of monsoon vine thickets. The bags are used to collect any kind of large numbers of heavy foods such as fish caught in conical fish traps or large collections of yams.

They can also be made from Pandanus spiralis, a plant which grows in many areas of Arnhem Land. These dilly bags are a tightly woven collecting basket, very finely made. These dilly bags are often used to collect sugarbag, the native honey

As well as being of practical use, dilly bags are also of religious significance to Arnhem Land people. Dilly bags are said to be totemic objects and associated with particular sites in the landscape

Name: Jennifer Prudence


Language: Burarra (Martay)



Biography:

Jennifer Prudence is a Burarra fibre artist living in Maningrida. Jennifer works predominantly with locally harvested pandanus (pandanus spiralis) that she dyes with natural colours derived from the roots, leaves or flowers of plants found in the surrounding country. She was taught to weave by her sister, master weaver Lorna Jin-gubarrangunyja, and is now herself an accomplished maker of An-gujechiya (Fish Trap), Burlupurr (Dilly bags), circular woven mats and earrings. Jennifer was one of 13 artists who produced "Mun-Dirra" for the 2023 NGV Triennial Exhibition, a monumental installation of ten 10m long woven pandanus fish net fences; taking close to 2 years to complete, it is the largest commissioned fibre work in Australia.  

 

 

 


© the artist / art centre