Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

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Yawkyawk, Ngaloyd and Kundalk – Woodblock

A beautiful vegetable print cotton yardage featuring woodblock designs created in 2023 during a workshop with Tharangini Studio in Bangalore. This fabric features the following block designs:

Kundalk (grasses) by Deborah Wurrkidj

Yawkyawk (young woman spirit) by Deborah Wurrkidj

Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent) by Jennifer Wurrkidj (Dec)

Printed in India by Tharangini Studio – Bangalore. This is a limited edition cotton yardage created as a result of workshops in India in January 2023. As part of their visit to India to open their exhibition, Jarracharra (dry season wind), Janet Marawarr and Deborah Wurrkidj visited Tharangini Studio, Bangalore’s oldest heritage textile studio. Established in 1977, Tharangini is woman-owned and specialises in organic, sustainable woodblock printed textiles. Tharangini’s skilled artisans worked closely with Babbarra in 2022 to hand carve some of babbarra designs old, Lino cut designs into woodblock. This initiative was supported by Kinaway Chamber of Commerce, Victoria and Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation.

‘I’m excited to see my Lino design made into woodblock. We are going to spend Saturday printing with Tharangini studio. We are going to learn woodblock printing. I’ve been working Bábbarra Women’s Centre for 37 years since it started. I’ve been printing Lino on fabric.’ Janet Marawarr 2023 ‘Tomorrow we do printing Yawkyawk (mermaid spirit) and Ngalyod (rainbow serpent). My design is together with my sister. Together we started working at the Women’s Centre and Maningrida Arts and Culture, taught by our mother and grandmother. My sister is a sick one and she pass on her story to me – Ngalyod (rainbow serpent). I help my sister, I help carry the knowledge for her. That’s why we both have designs being made into woodblock.’ Deborah Wurrkidj 2022

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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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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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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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Babbarra Billabong

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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Manyawok (Cheeky Yam)

This design depicts the cheeky yam, which is found on the artist’s country, near the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land. Yams are an important bush food that are collected during the wet season.

Unlike other yams that can be eaten roasted, the cheeky yam can be poisonous if not properly prepared. The preparation process of the yam traditionally takes two days. Firstly, the yams are dug up with a digging stick and boiled over a fire. They are then peeled and sliced into thin strips, which are placed in a special dillybag woven by women from pandanus leaves. The yam-laden dillybag is then strung from an overhanging branch into a river, so the bag just touches the flowing fresh water. The cheeky yams are left like this overnight to allow the running water to remove the toxins. The next morning, people return and collect the dillybag, and leave the yam pieces in full sunlight to dry out. Finally, when the yam pieces have dried in the sun for a day, they are ready to eat.

Lino tiles hand printed on fabric using textile ink. 

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Kiri Kiri

In the language of Kune, this plant is called kiri kiri and it is used as a source of food in and around Bulugarduru, in the forested country of Arnhem Land. 

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.

100% Silk 

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Mankorlod – Kabandere Dreaming – Major Work

TBC

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Kunmadj and Cheeky Yam

Deborah has depicted kunmadj (dillybag), which is a large woven collecting basket. These large bags are often made from the burney vine (Trophis scandens), a strong, pliable plant that grows along the ground and into the canopy of monsoon vine thickets. The bags are used to collect heavy foods, such as fish caught in conical fish traps, or yams. They can also be made from kun-dayarr (Pandanus spiralis), a palm that grows in many areas of Arnhem Land. Tightly woven dillybags are used to collect sugarbag, the native honey.

As well as being of practical use, dillybags are of cultural significance to Arnhem Land people. They are totemic objects associated with particular sites in the landscape.