This eel trap hods more than raffia and stitches- It carries memory. For Gunditjmara people, eel traps are apart of the world’s oldest aquaculture systems, guiding and catching eels through stone channels that still flow today. As the weaving grew, so did the story. Each coil is a thread of connection- to water, to food, to survival, to ancestors. This trap is not just an object, but a reminder of the strength and spirit of Gunditjmara Country. Light in hands, yet heavy in meaning.
Yolŋu weavers of Arnhem Land craft both utilitarian and ceremonial objects using naturally sourced materials, with more recent works also including decorative pieces, such as this woven stingray.
The primary material used in this piece is the young, green leaves of the Pandanus spiralis tree, that were harvested using a long wooden hook. The leaves are stripped of their prickles, with the smaller fibres being dried to produce a strong, resilient material. These fibres are then twisted, coiled, or combined using various techniques to create this motif of a stingray, an important totem for Yolŋu people of Central Arnhem Land.
Bula’bula weavers exclusively use natural dyes, derived from locally sourced roots, leaves and grasses. These pigments are extracted and infused into pandanus fibres by boiling over an open fire, producing the rich, vibrant colours characteristic of contemporary Yolŋu weavings.
Yolŋu weavers of Arnhem Land craft both utilitarian and ceremonial objects using naturally sourced materials, with more recent works also including decorative pieces, such as this woven stingray.
The primary material used in this piece is the young, green leaves of the Pandanus spiralis tree, that were harvested using a long wooden hook. The leaves are stripped of their prickles, with the smaller fibres being dried to produce a strong, resilient material. These fibres are then twisted, coiled, or combined using various techniques to create this motif of a stingray, an important totem for Yolŋu people of Central Arnhem Land.
Bula’bula weavers exclusively use natural dyes, derived from locally sourced roots, leaves and grasses. These pigments are extracted and infused into pandanus fibres by boiling over an open fire, producing the rich, vibrant colours characteristic of contemporary Yolŋu weavings.
Yolŋu weavers of Arnhem Land craft both utilitarian and ceremonial objects using naturally sourced materials, with more recent works also including decorative pieces, such as this woven stingray.
The primary material used in this piece is the young, green leaves of the Pandanus spiralis tree, that were harvested using a long wooden hook. The leaves are stripped of their prickles, with the smaller fibres being dried to produce a strong, resilient material. These fibres are then twisted, coiled, or combined using various techniques to create this motif of a stingray, an important totem for Yolŋu people of Central Arnhem Land.
Bula’bula weavers exclusively use natural dyes, derived from locally sourced roots, leaves and grasses. These pigments are extracted and infused into pandanus fibres by boiling over an open fire, producing the rich, vibrant colours characteristic of contemporary Yolŋu weavings.
Yolŋu weavers of Arnhem Land craft both utilitarian and ceremonial objects using naturally sourced materials, with more recent works also including decorative pieces, such as this woven stingray.
The primary material used in this piece is the young, green leaves of the Pandanus spiralis tree, that were harvested using a long wooden hook. The leaves are stripped of their prickles, with the smaller fibres being dried to produce a strong, resilient material. These fibres are then twisted, coiled, or combined using various techniques to create this motif of a stingray, an important totem for Yolŋu people of Central Arnhem Land.
Bula’bula weavers exclusively use natural dyes, derived from locally sourced roots, leaves and grasses. These pigments are extracted and infused into pandanus fibres by boiling over an open fire, producing the rich, vibrant colours characteristic of contemporary Yolŋu weavings.
Yolŋu weavers of Arnhem Land craft both utilitarian and ceremonial objects using naturally sourced materials, with more recent works also including decorative pieces, such as this woven stingray.
The primary material used in this piece is the young, green leaves of the Pandanus spiralis tree, that were harvested using a long wooden hook. The leaves are stripped of their prickles, with the smaller fibres being dried to produce a strong, resilient material. These fibres are then twisted, coiled, or combined using various techniques to create this motif of a stingray, an important totem for Yolŋu people of Central Arnhem Land.
Bula’bula weavers exclusively use natural dyes, derived from locally sourced roots, leaves and grasses. These pigments are extracted and infused into pandanus fibres by boiling over an open fire, producing the rich, vibrant colours characteristic of contemporary Yolŋu weavings.
Anhelengkw (emu) dreaming is the breast body painting depicting the story of the mother emu who runs away and leaves the father emu to look after the eggs until they hatch, he then raises the chicks.
This story is passed down through Maisie’s family and celebrated in dance.
Anhelengkw (emu) dreaming is the breast body painting depicting the story of the mother emu who runs away and leaves the father emu to look after the eggs until they hatch, he then raises the chicks.
This story is passed down through Maisie’s family and celebrated in dance.
All Aboriginal people originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘spiritual reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangarr (creative spirits) that were created long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the countryside, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country, the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it. These creative spirits took many forms and when they gave the land to each group, they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language.
The creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Many Ganalbingu artists paint totemic species significant to their clan. These can include baru (crocodile), banda (long necked turtle), buliya (catfish), yalman (waterlilies), gumang (magpie geese), dakawa (fresh water yabby), ratjuk (barramundi), warrnyu (flying fox) and more.