April 2024

---

---

Jin-merduwa (mermaid)

A beautiful, one-off, linocut, hand printed design by Elizabeth Wullunmingu depicting the story of Jin-merduwa.  Sometimes she also includes her Garriwa turtle print. 

My niece, Stephanie James, is singing a song called Diyama, and it is about Jin-merduwa. She is in the Ripple Effect Band. They are now famous in Maningrida and everywhere. Her great grandmother told her about the Jin-merduwa living at Gupanga.  I heard the story before Stephanie.  Now I hear her singing the story about that place.  I am very proud of her. We have the same country.  Our stories match.  She is singing the story, and I am making artwork about the story. 

My lino print shows the Jin-merduwa who live at Gupanga. Gupanga is located at the mouth of the Blyth River.  It is a saltwater place.  There must be more than one Jin-merduwa living there?  They eat fish, shellfish and seaweed.  Sometimes they travel to the end of the river to find food in the ocean, but they don’t go far and always swim back to their home.

Gupanga is a beautiful place.  The sand is golden, there are mangroves, and the water is cloudy.  It is good hunting in that area.  When we lived there, we got lots of barramundi, mud crabs, shellfish, everything!

This is a bit of a dangerous story.  I can’t say too much about this sacred place. The Rangers help to look after this place, but they also know they must be careful.   

Kuninjku people call mermaids yawkyawk.  Yawkyawk are freshwater.  In my language, Burarra, we call mermaids Jin-merduwa.  Jin-merduwa are a bit different to yawkyawk but are also a type of mermaid.

I love to make lino print fabric showing Jin-merduwa. I like using bright colours, but sometimes I print using black and white.

Ripple Effect Band – Diyama Song

 https://rippleeffectband.bandcamp.com/track/diyama

This song was written by Stephanie James in her language of Burarra. It is about the mermaids that live in the river in her country of Kupanga.

Her father sings the Kun-borrk traditional music from the Diyama song cycle to link his daughter’s music to the past.

Credits

from Wárrwarra, released July 5, 2018
Written by Stephanie James, D. Maxwell (father for Stephanie)
Produced by Paul Mac, Jodie Kell, Clint Bracknell
Audio Engineer: Campbell Barnes
Guitar: Jodie Kell, Jolene Lawrence
Bass guitar: Tara Rostron
Drums: Jolene Lawrence
Keys: Patricia Gibson
Lead Vocals: Stephanie James
Back up Vocals: Jodie Kell
Diyama vocals: D. Maxwell

A beautiful, one-off, linocut, hand printed design by Elizabeth Wullunmingu depicting the story of Jin-merduwa.  Sometimes she also includes her turtle print. 

---

---

Namurre Boko

A two colour screen print design from 2022. Jay’s first large format design to join the Bábbarra Designs Collection.

‘This is my first one, I’m really happy, I’m proud. It’s just a songline for everybody. This story is from my great great grandfather on my fathers side. The songline was made by my second father. The mimihs tell the story. The painting took a long time, a few weeks to finish.’ Jay Jurrupula Rostron

‘Bini-murreko means two brothers – big brother and little brother.

Two brothers were really strong leaders and good hunters, sharing animals with different tribes.
With those different tribe there were jealousy going on.
Little brother went walkabout and heard the different tribe was talking about his tribe.
They said ngarribin manre djed-djedme bokko
Meaning: will make spear for them
Ngarrbin danj-bun, ngarrbinbun
Meaning: will spear them kill them
little brother turn around went back tell his brother
Namurre bokko kadi marne djed-djedme Karre wonens, kardi-djal danjbun
Meaning: they making spear for us, they gonna spear us
Couple of months they saw different tribe
They changed their attitude
They been bringing lots of animals to them and start asking for women
And that tribe realise that’s how those brothers died.
They kill them
This Why? They got jealous because two brothers was a good hunter.

This story written on the rock art and it stays forever.’

---

---

Long Neck Turtle and Sea Turtle swapped their fat

Freshwater turtle is the big sister of the Sea turtle. 

‘The story is that freshwater turtle (big sister) told the Sea turtle (little sister)  to meet at the saltwater and swap their fat. Then, the freshwater turtle moved to the land and the sea turtle moved to the sea, they swapped. 

This is how the turtles got their fat.’

---

---

Waterlily

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

---

---

Waterlily at the Djomi Spring – Joy Garlbin

Joy Garlbin depicts waterlily’s at the Djomi Spring sacred site. 

---

---

Welebme (flat stone), giri-giri (thorne), & kono (flowers)

‘I wanted to create this drawing, telling my kids and husbands dreaming story. I want to keep the story alive for my grandchildren so when they grow up, they can learn their families stories. I always tell my granddaughter about the work i’m doing so she can know and keep it in her mind. She’s growing up now but still is always learning about my stories and asks me questions everyday about my work.

I call this design Welebme, giri-giri, & kono (flowers), this story comes from Bulukhaduru. 

The giri-giri always rips our clothes and scratches our skin when we go our hunting. It’s really sharp and long, all the kids tell me they don’t like that thorne!’

---

---

Dolphine and Waterlily

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

---

---

Dolphine and Waterlily

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

---

---

Rainbow Serpent and Maladj Spirits

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

---

---

Bush flowers

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.