Hand Painted – Matchbox Bean
Entada Phaseoloides (Matchbox Bean) is a robust climbing vine native to the rainforest along the east coast of Cape York in Far North Queensland. The vine produces a very large seed pod containing poisonous beans.
In the early days, bama (people) processed the bean for food. This was achieved by extracting the white flesh, then baking and pounding it to produce a sort of flour. This was then soaked in fresh water for a period of time to leach out the toxins, so it could be eaten.
Matchbox beans are collected from the rainforest and the beach. We love to paint our cultural designs, animals, birds and plants on them as decoration.
Bana Yirriji Art Centre represents artists from the Yalanji, Nyungkul and Jalunji clan groups.
Bama (local people) have had a long history of artistic expression, including ceremonial body painting, weavings made from local plants, rainforest shields and weaponry decorated with clan designs using earth pigments.
Today, artists create stunning contemporary arts and crafts; including paintings, prints, works on paper, textiles, weavings, artefacts and a range of merchandise. Artists draw on their rich cultural, historic, and contemporary stories and profound connection to country as inspiration.
