Seen in and around Ramingining, the sand palm is a small, slender palm, growing to about 7 m tall. It is fire tolerant and usually grows in environments where it is exposed to frequent fires. Aboriginal people use this palm as the fruits are edible and the heart can be eaten, either raw or roasted. The core of the stem is pounded and made into a drink which was used to treat coughs, colds, chest infections, diarrhoea, and tuberculosis.
Name: Joy Burruna
Language: Djambarrpuyngu
Community: Ramingining
Biography:
Burruna's late mother was a renowned artist who was one of the first Yolngu women to ever paint. She paved the way for Yolngu women to not be seen as only weavers but painters too. Burruna learnt to paint by watching her mother and she now paints along side her sisters, daughters and granddaughters with a family lineage of strong women painters.
Joy loves to paint stories about Morning Star, the very special and spiritual ceremony that is particular to her fathers side of the family, and other clans in this region. She also paints the king brown snake and blue tongue lizard creation story for her country of Djarraya. Some times Burruna will also paint the flying fox creation story for her mothers country of Ngalyindi, and fresh water stories about long neck turtles and crocodiles. These stories are part of her family knowledge.
As well as being an artist for Bula’bula Arts, Joy is one of the directors.
Good bush food story This is a story of the artists dreaming and his family. A freshwater story of looking for food, you can see the long-neck turtles and file snakes in the water. It Read more…
Evonne’s Buliya (catfish) dhawu (story) In this painting, Evonne has painted her Mari (mothers, mother) dreaming of Buliya (catfish). This is a freshwater story from Ganalbingu country in the Arafura Wetlands. Evonne’s Mari taught Evonne’s Read more…
Baru Dhawu (Crocodile Story) Baru (the crocodile man), was from the Gumatj clan. People usually call him Gurdu Gurdu or Baru which means crocodile. He lived his life at a place called Yirrkala. Living near Read more…