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Manbirrbbirr and bush dye

In Kuninjku the name manbirrbbirr is used for a number of densely flowering shrubs and small trees including Verticordia cunninghamii, yellow flowering Austromyrtus species and also Acacia platycarpa which also has dense white. 

The striking yellow – gold hue comes from the root oft of the man-kurdudjumuk (coelospermum reticulatum) which has been harvested from the sandy country near the flood plains. This laborious and tiring process requires digging up the entire shrub. The root is shaven into a pot of water and the colour is released into waster through boiling.  

Categories: Babbarra Women’s Centre

Name: Abigail Namundja

Language: Kuninjku

Community: Maningrida

Biography:

Abigail has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 2012. She comes from a strong line of talented artists, her mother is Jennifer Wurrkidj and her grandmother was the late Helen Lanyinwanga. Three generations of women from Abigail’s family worked together at Bábbarra Women’s Centre, sharing knowledge and creating new designs together.

Abigail's totems are Gungura (Spiral wind) and Kunwardde (Stone country rocks). She is a talented lino printer and loves to print bush flower designs, Buluwana, yawkyawk and marebu. 

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