Eggs are very important to Yolngu people. They are very common in the bush from both birds and reptiles such as magpie geese, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. They are used in ceremony and a food source.
The artists in Ramingining paint designs and images of animals, plants, and landscape. These motifs commonly reflect the artists ancestral inheritance and their totems and dreamings.
Eggs are very important to Yolngu people. They are very common in the bush from both birds and reptiles such as magpie geese, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. They are used in ceremony and a food source.
The artists in Ramingining paint designs and images of animals, plants, and landscape. These motifs commonly reflect the artists ancestral inheritance and their totems and dreamings.
Eggs are very important to Yolngu people. They are very common in the bush from both birds and reptiles such as magpie geese, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. They are used in ceremony and a food source.
The artists in Ramingining paint designs and images of animals, plants, and landscape. These motifs commonly reflect the artists ancestral inheritance and their totems and dreamings.
Eggs are very important to Yolngu people. They are very common in the bush from both birds and reptiles such as magpie geese, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. They are used in ceremony and a food source.
The artists in Ramingining paint designs and images of animals, plants, and landscape. These motifs commonly reflect the artists ancestral inheritance and their totems and dreamings.
Fish traps are placed into the river to face the oncoming fish. The woven tunnel traps the fish and prevents their escape. The traps are tapered so when they are submerged in the water, the water pressure wedges them into place. Traditionally, the fish traps are operated at night time.
Barddedde (bangle vine) is a climbing vine with cane-like stems.
It is used to make armbands and was traditionally used to sew together the ends of bark canoes.
This one colour screen print was designed in 2006 and has been revived in 2025.
Lorrkon (hollow log)
A beautiful hand printed Lino design by Joy Garlbin.
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.’
This design depicts the story of the artist’s ancestral dreaming, the Djomi fresh water spirit mermaid.
The Djomi figure is a mermaid like spirit with fish tail that lives in the fresh water stream that flows out to the sea cliff near Maningrida. Djomi is a known to be a very powerful fertility symbol.
‘If you go there you can get pregnant easily. Djomi has babies, and they can give others babies too. The Djomi spirit is so powerful, that women can end up with multiple babies at once, twins or sometimes even more. The Djomi spirits lay eggs near the sacred freshwater stream in Maningrida. Inside the eggs are human babies as well as young Djomi.
Men do not go near that swamp, because Djomi is so powerful that men might get pregnant there too. So men, they are too scared of that Djomi. When we visit the Djomi freshwater spring, we can hear young Djomi crying. They sound like normal babies crying, those Djomi spirits. They are looking for a mother.
This Djomi is my dreaming, I got permission from my djunguys to paint this Djomi design. For me I always ask my djunguy permission to paint, because that is our cultural way.
This design also depicts the fresh water lily leaves, and seaweed from the base of the sea floor.