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Rrugurrgurda (Mud Crab)

This design tells the story of Elizabeth’s homeland – a dreaming place, a good dreaming place with plentiful mud crabs. Elizabeth’s homeland lies east of Maningrida, at the mouth of Blyth river. This country is known for a large spiritual mud crab, which lives in the area.

Many families go and collect crabs to eat there with long sticks, or collect directly from the shores. Mud crabs hide in the muddy bottoms of estuaries and mangrove forests in areas surrounding Maningrida. After a king tide, a large cyclical tide that bring the crabs out from the mangroves, it is a good time to find crabs.

Rrugurrgurda (mud crabs) is pronounced Ahh-rewg-gurd-gurda in the Burarra language. Rrugurrgurda are good baladji (bush food in Burarra) and can be caught all year round. They are put on the fire to cook and they are ready when they turn a bright orange colour.

Categories: Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Elizabeth Wullunmingu

Language: Burarra

Community: Maningrida

Biography:

Elizabeth Kodjdjan Wullunmingu  is an Anbara Burrara woman who grew up on her mother country at the mouth of the Blyth River, east of Maningrida in Arnhem Land.

Elizabeth started working as a sewer for Babbarra Women’s Centre in 2010 and created her first screen print design the same year.  

Rrugurrgurda (mud crab) tells the story of Elizabeth’s homeland, a peaceful place with plenty of mud crabs and shellfish to eat. Rrugurrgurda and Dakkara are good baladji (bush food) and can be eaten all year round.

Elizabeth artistic talent comes from her mother Doris Gingingara who was an artist for the iconic Desert Designs label in the 1980’s.

Elizabeth designed and sewed outfits for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her screen print design Rrugurrgurda (Mud Crab) was part of the successful KipandCo x Babbarra homewares collection in 2020.

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