Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

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Dakarra (cockle)

Dakarra is the Burrara Gun-nartpa word for a type of cockle shell with prominant scaled ribs and an orange colour. This is part of a diet of shellfish which has been enjoyed by people whose country lies on the saltwater estuaries at the opening of  rivers throughout Arnhem Land.

Elizabeth Wullunmingu’s mother country is Djunawunya, near Gupunga on the Bligh river. This is saltwater country. Her design Dakarra represents a songline for this particular type of edible shellfish and the fishing lifestyle that is enjoyed by her people. 

Elizabeth’s grandfather Frank Gurrmanamana was seen in the documentary ‘Waiting For harry’  1978  by Ronin films which is filmed on Elizabeth’s mother country, Djunawunya. In this documentary, the late Frank Gurrmanamana is preparing the final mortuary ceremonies for his brother who died six years before. Central to the ceremonies is Harry Diama, the senior blood-relative of the deceased man, but Harry lives in Maningrida and is pre-occupied with a pending court-case there involving his son.

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/video/1068702275809/Waiting-For-Harry

 

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Dakarra (cockle) – Helen Kamniski

Dakarra is the Burrara Gun-nartpa word for a type of cockle shell with prominant scaled ribs and an orange colour. This is part of a diet of shellfish which has been enjoyed by people whose country lies on the saltwater estuaries at the opening of  rivers throughout Arnhem Land.

Elizabeth Wullunmingu’s mother country is Djunawunya, near Gupunga on the Bligh river. This is saltwater country. Her design Dakarra represents a songline for this particular type of edible shellfish and the fishing lifestyle that is enjoyed by her people. 

Elizabeth’s grandfather Frank Gurrmanamana was seen in the documentary ‘Waiting For harry’  1978  by Ronin films which is filmed on Elizabeth’s mother country, Djunawunya. In this documentary, the late Frank Gurrmanamana is preparing the final mortuary ceremonies for his brother who died six years before. Central to the ceremonies is Harry Diama, the senior blood-relative of the deceased man, but Harry lives in Maningrida and is pre-occupied with a pending court-case there involving his son.

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/video/1068702275809/Waiting-For-Harry

 

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Dakarra (cockle) – Helen Kaminski

Dakarra is the Burrara Gun-nartpa word for a type of cockle shell with prominant scaled ribs and an orange colour. This is part of a diet of shellfish which has been enjoyed by people whose country lies on the saltwater estuaries at the opening of  rivers throughout Arnhem Land.

Elizabeth Wullunmingu’s mother country is Djunawunya, near Gupunga on the Bligh river. This is saltwater country. Her design Dakarra represents a songline for this particular type of edible shellfish and the fishing lifestyle that is enjoyed by her people. 

Elizabeth’s grandfather Frank Gurrmanamana was seen in the documentary ‘Waiting For harry’  1978  by Ronin films which is filmed on Elizabeth’s mother country, Djunawunya. In this documentary, the late Frank Gurrmanamana is preparing the final mortuary ceremonies for his brother who died six years before. Central to the ceremonies is Harry Diama, the senior blood-relative of the deceased man, but Harry lives in Maningrida and is pre-occupied with a pending court-case there involving his son.

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/video/1068702275809/Waiting-For-Harry

 

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Title TBC

Story TBC

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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.

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Kunngol (cloud)

This design depicts certain Kunngol (cloud) that signal to people of central Arnhem Land that the end of the wet season is approaching. After months of daily monsoonal rain in Arnhem Land, these clouds are light and fluffy, not like the dark, heavy clouds of the monsoonal sky. At the time of the kunngol clouds, people know the country will soon dry up and the cold season (dry season) will arrive. When the kunngol clouds appear, all of the billabongs are already filled, the rivers are high and the country is brimming with life and fresh new growth after months of fresh water pouring from the sky.

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Kunngol (cloud)

This design depicts certain Kunngol (cloud) that signal to people of central Arnhem Land that the end of the wet season is approaching. After months of daily monsoonal rain in Arnhem Land, these clouds are light and fluffy, not like the dark, heavy clouds of the monsoonal sky. At the time of the kunngol clouds, people know the country will soon dry up and the cold season (dry season) will arrive. When the kunngol clouds appear, all of the billabongs are already filled, the rivers are high and the country is brimming with life and fresh new growth after months of fresh water pouring from the sky.

Beautiful soft hand woven Khadi cotton sourced from India with silver textile ink.

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Kunngol (cloud)

This design depicts certain Kunngol (cloud) that signal to people of central Arnhem Land that the end of the wet season is approaching. After months of daily monsoonal rain in Arnhem Land, these clouds are light and fluffy, not like the dark, heavy clouds of the monsoonal sky. At the time of the kunngol clouds, people know the country will soon dry up and the cold season (dry season) will arrive. When the kunngol clouds appear, all of the billabongs are already filled, the rivers are high and the country is brimming with life and fresh new growth after months of fresh water pouring from the sky.

Beautiful soft hand woven Khadi cotton sourced from India with silver textile ink.

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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, long long long time ago Bawáliba were here, before people were on the land. Bawáliba used to go out hunting and care for country. They hunt carrying fish traps and digging sticks, near the homeland Djinkarr. They go out hunting on the floodplains with dilly bags and digging sticks. They collect a lot of bush foods, and sleep together with one bark shelter.
Sometimes now they still come alive when we sleep, they might come to our houses and peep through the window. At night, they cover themselves with white clay and red cloth tied around their waist. If we hear them, we jump out of bed and get up to look -but they have disappeared, they’re just too quick. Bawáliba might knock on the window to remind us they are there looking out for us.If you listen deeply you can hear them whisper, sometimes they talk about us and might say, ‘why are those people making camp here?’ then they realise ‘Oh they are family from here, it’s ok, they are just sleeping here for the night’.

During the day they always turn into stone and they sleep. We still know that green rock covered in moss near Djinkarr, that’s Bawáliba sleeping.
Some of my ancestors used to speak the same language as the Bawaliba, but all those old people are passed away now. It’s a little bit sad for us, because no one now can speak that Bawaliba language anymore.’ Lucy Yarawanga 2019

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Ngarndúma (palm tree)

ngarndúma   1) a kind of tall palm tree with one straight trunk; Kentia palm. Gronophyllum ramsayi; Carpentaria acuminata. Gender: djíya; Moiety: Yírriddjanga. N A. Karlakkalóddjarra márdba ka-rénjdjeya. The new shoot is sweet. The growing tip of young palms eaten raw; large palms are not eaten. The fruits are toxic to people but eaten by fruit pigeons.