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AN-Gujechiya and Jin-Merdawa Embroidery

Woodblock print and Lambadi embroidery on handwoven kala cotton
Pigment print with organic dyes
Design brief and all original design by Elizabeth Wullunmingu
Print composition by Anshu Arora and Prithi Pais
Printed by artisans at Tharangini Studio
Embroidery by M.Vasanthi & Sangeetha at Porgai Artisans Association
Woodblock carving by Shri C.H. Sreeram and Shri S.K. Rajak
Fabric by Green Tailor

Embroidered area; 57cm x 142cm 


Elizabeth Wullunmingu is an An-barra Burarra woman who grew up speaking Burarra language on her mother country at the entrance of the Blyth River in Arnhem Land,


Australia. Her adopted mother, P. Galijan Dungudja, was a sewer in the Bábbarra Women’s Centre sewing room and a strong advocate for women in the community.
Wullunmingu’s style is intricate, with delicate (shells) and dakarra (cockles)representative of the balaji (bush food) found on the beaches and saltwater estuaries east of Maningrida. The detailed hand embroidery is glorious, respectfully aligned to Wullunmingu’s own passion for sewing.

Wullunmingu exclaims:
I love to make Lino print fabric showing Jin-Merdawa (mermaid) . I like using bright colours. Jin-Merdawa live at Gupanga. Gupanga is located at the mouth of the Blyth River, Arnhem Land. It is a saltwater place. There must be more than one Jin-Merdawa living there? They eat fish, shellfish and seaweed. Sometimes they travel to the end of the river to find food.

Categories: Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Elizabeth Wullunmingu

Language: Burarra

Community: Maningrida

Biography:

Elizabeth Kodjdjan Wullunmingu is an Anbara Burarra 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’s artistic talent runs in her family; her mother, Doris Gingingara, was an artist for the iconic Desert Designs label in the 1980s.

In addition to designing outfits for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Elizabeth’s work has been featured in high-profile fashion and homeware collaborations including the Kip&Co x Bábbarra collection in 2020 and a stunning collaboration with milliner Helen Kaminski in 2024. 

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