Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

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Water Lily

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

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Gurrpurdu (Diving Bird)

A design by emerging textile designer, Charmaine Pascoe.

‘My Gurrpurdu (diving bird) was white. She flew from Gan Gan to Gapuwiyak and then to Yathalamarra. And then she flew to Gartji.

At Gartji two fresh water seaweed shoots, one long and one short were trying to keep diving bird down. They were saying, “Don’t go away you belong to this country”.  Diving bird said “No! I’m going to travel around to other country”.  She was flapping her wings and then those two seaweed shoots let her go.

Then diving bird flew to make water hole at Gamurra Gu-yurra. She tasted the water but it was salty not fresh water. Then she put her poo like white clay on the ground at Gamurra Gu-yurra. The while clay was used for painting, funerals and ceremonies.

Then she continued to fly to Ji-balbal where she put the white clay again and then from Ji-balbal she dived underwater to Gochan Jiny-jirra. When she got there she got out of the water and was flapping her wings. At the same time she was singing. She was using her wings to dry out so that she could fly to Nangak.’ Charmaine Pascoe 2020

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Water Lilly

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

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Djabayéna (Ancestral sawfish spirit)

 

Djabayéna is a highly significant saw fish creation spirit that is part of the symbolic identity of the Ndjébbana speaking Kunibidji people of West Arnhem Land. 

When seen from the sky, the formation of a large Djabayéna can be seen at the opening of the Liverpool River on the Western Point.

‘When tide in and then tide out we can see it’s up there round the corner on the point. There is one Djabayéna, really big. He sleep all the time here. Our dreaming, Djabayéna. We make t-shirt and they play football – home ground with Djabayéna.’ Verity Bangarra 2023

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Djabayéna (Ancestral sawfish spirit)

 

Djabayéna is a highly significant saw fish creation spirit that is part of the symbolic identity of the Ndjébbana speaking Kunibidji people of West Arnhem Land. 

When seen from the sky, the formation of a large Djabayéna can be seen at the opening of the Liverpool River on the Western Point.

‘When tide in and then tide out we can see it’s up there round the corner on the point. There is one Djabayéna, really big. He sleep all the time here. Our dreaming, Djabayéna. We make t-shirt and they play football – home ground with Djabayéna.’ Verity Bangarra 2023

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Welebme (flat)

This is a Kune word that refers to the flattening out of items stones, flat leaves and kunbad (money). 

This design shows different items that have flattened out. Carol designed this for her grandkids to show them the tradition of Welebme. 

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Kunkurra (Spiral Wind)

‘My designs, they are all alive living up in my head’- Janet Marawarr

Janet Marawarr has depicted kunkurra, the spiralling wind associated with several sites in the Kardbam clan. On one level, this design can be interpreted as a depiction of the kinds of mini-cyclones common during the wet season in Arnhem Land, where the artist lives. Kunkurra also relates specifically to a site called Bilwoyinj, near Mankorlod, on the artist’s clan estate.

At this site, two of the most important Kuninjku creation beings, a father and son known as na-korrkko, are believed to have hunted and eaten a goanna. They left some of the goanna fat behind at the site, which turned into the rock that still stands there today.

Bilwoyinj site is also a ceremonial ground for a ceremony called Yabbaduruwa, a major ceremony owned by the Yirridja patrimoiety. The Yabbaduruwa ceremony is primarily concerned with initiation, land ownership and promoting the cyclical regeneration of the human and natural worlds.

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Djabayéna (Ancestral sawfish spirit)

 

Djabayéna is a highly significant saw fish creation spirit that is part of the symbolic identity of the Ndjébbana speaking Kunibidji people of West Arnhem Land. 

When seen from the sky, the formation of a large Djabayéna can be seen at the opening of the Liverpool River on the Western Point.

‘When tide in and then tide out we can see it’s up there round the corner on the point. There is one Djabayéna, really big. He sleep all the time here. Our dreaming, Djabayéna. We make t-shirt and they play football – home ground with Djabayéna.’ Verity Bangarra 2023

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Water Lily

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.

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Babbarra story

This fabric was created using the linocut printing technique. The lino tile has been carved by the artist in Maningrida, and has been printed by hand using a variety of colours and layers. The linocut technique ensures each textile piece is a one-off, limited edition piece. Bábbarra Women’s Centre supports the economic independence of Indigenous women in the Arnhem Land community of Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia. Designs created by the women at Bábbarra reflect strong cultural knowledge, which is passed down to younger generations through their textile design practice.