37781064009222

Published by on


Status: Stock


Make it Real Scrunchie Set by Rowena Morgan

Wirniny (Pandanus)  

Wirniny are an extremely useful plant for Indigenous people. The ripe red segments of the fruit can be roasted and eaten, and the white base of the leaves can also be eaten raw or cooked. The strong leaves of the wiriny are most notably used for clothing, hats, necklaces, mats, bags, baskets, ropes, twine, thatching and fishing. It also provides bush medicine: Chewing the leaves relieves sore throats, scabies, eye problems and pounded into a paste it can be used as an antiseptic ointment for wounds.  

Name: Rowena Morgan


Language: Gooniyandi, Kija


Community: Halls Creek


Biography:

Rowena was born in Wyndham and grew up on Kija country in Halls Creek. She remembers spending time as a child sitting down in the dirt painting with her Grandmother, who taught her about important Kija knowledge and the stories she should paint. Rowena began learning printmaking at Nagula Jarndu in 2014, transferring her painting skills into block and screen-printed designs. Her artwork draws on aspects of her custodial country; the Lansdowne Ranges region of the East Kimberley; dry desert country, rocky riverbeds, spinifex grasslands and winding hillscapes and waterholes (full and drying up) and the creatures that inhabit these places. Rowena’s textiles are highly sought after and her choice of ochre and muted tones connects audiences further to her country and the specific colours it evokes. She is also a part-time artworker at Nagula Jarndu, facilitating artist studio support and skills development.

Rowena was the winner of the National Indigenous Fashion Award for Textile Design in 2023 and released her first Fashion collection in 2024. 


© the artist / art centre