Babbarra Women’s Centre

Makéddja (Sea Turtle) Makéddja means sea turtle in the Ndjébbana language of the Kunibidji people of Maningrida.  

Djomi This design depicts the story of the artist’s ancestral dreaming, the Djomi fresh water spirit mermaid. The Djomi figure is a mermaid like spirit with fish tail that lives in the fresh water stream that flows out to the sea cliff near Maningrida. Djomi is a known to be Read more…

Djomi This design depicts the story of the artist’s ancestral dreaming, the Djomi fresh water spirit mermaid. The Djomi figure is a mermaid like spirit with fish tail that lives in the fresh water stream that flows out to the sea cliff near Maningrida. Djomi is a known to be Read more…

Mandjabu Kuninjku people traditionally make two sorts of conical fish traps. One is called mandjabu and is made from a strong, durable vine called milil, and a smaller one is called manylik mandjabu, and made from the grass manylik. The mandjabuconical fish trap is bigger and stronger and used in tidal reaches Read more…

Wak This screen print depicts a sacred site at Kurrurldul, an outstation south of Maningrida. The original screen print design was made in 2010 but continues to be printed at Babbarra Designs studio.  The ‘rarrk’, or abstract crosshatching, on this work represents the design for the crow totem ancestor called Read more…

Dedded Wongkorr This design depicts a ‘wongkorr’ sacred dilly bag woven with brightly coloured orange parrot feathers called ‘dedded’. It is depicted alongside a digging stick. Wongkorr are used in a number of public ceremonial contexts, and are sacred objects for the Bininj Kunwok speaking people of Western Arnhem Land. Read more…

Mandjabu (Fish Trap) “In old times people would make these mandjabu (fish traps) to go fishing. They are made with vine we find in the jungle. That old man, Anchor Gulunba, he showed me how to make these fish traps. I would sit there and watch him making them. We Read more…

Makéddja (Sea Turtle) Makéddja means sea turtle in the Ndjébbana language of the Kunibidji people of Maningrida.  

Bawáliba (Stone Country Mimih) ‘Bawáliba is the djang (Dreaming) of my mother and my uncles. They are good spirits, they protect us and they recognise families. They are really tall- just like human beings, like us. They dance late at night and have a lot of hair. In olden times, Read more…

Mududu (mud crab) and Romolo A new design by Lucy celebrating her love of eating mudcrab.  Mududu is mudcrab in the Gurgoni language. ‘I feel good waking up in the morning, knowing I am going to Bábbarra. After work I go home and talk about my printing with all my Read more…