Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

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Murnun (dugong)

This design is murnun (dugong). Josephine grew up on the coastal area of Maningrida. She is a Kunibidji woman, a Gurgoni and Ndjébbana language speaker. 

‘In the olden times they used to go on canoe to look for murnun (dungong), fish (yokkara) ,turtle (makéddja) and stingray (marnan djupa (sp?)). They used a spear and net during the day and sometimes at night. The fishermen were mostly men. I remember my grandfather used to go hunting, that’s Joy’s (Garlbin)  father. HIs name was Jimmy. We used to go out with him on the boat to kill makéddja (turtle) and murnun (dugong) for yalaba (bush tucker). 

 

 

 

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Makassan Boat with Bottles and Rope

“Wubbunj is our traditional canoe. This design is the old history story of how people came to live in this place we call Maningrida. Two old people were staying on the other side of the saltwater, in Narlarrambarr area. The old people slept in a paper bark shelter and hunted on the water using their canoe. A long time ago our people carved these canoes from the big paperbark trees. They had paddles with one person at the front, one at back, and other kids and passengers in the middle. Kunkot (paper bark) was used to make the sails which they would stand up and catch the wind.

One day these old people saw a new boat in their waters, which belonged to the Makassans (Indonesians). Those two old men saw the big Makassan boat coming in, and decided to paddle their canoe from Narlarrambarr to the other side (modern day Maningrida). We were scared of the Makassans, they gave us tobacco and tea, but they took many of our women.

In this design I have painted the Makassan’s rope, smoking pipe and the pottery vessels they bought with them on a boat. Our people had never seen these things before they bought them across from Indonesia.

When those two old people tasted that water at Maningrida from the Djomi spring, it was sweet freshwater and they decided to stay here. People here had no clothes in those time, we were just wearing string morkoi (loin cloths). Seven tribes were here then, but now in Maningrida there are lots more languages.” – Raylene Bonson

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Short neck turtle and saratoga

A textured design featuring short neck turtle, saratoga and barramundi swimming together in a freshwater billabong.

Yellow ink on black cotton fabric. 

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Collecting Manme (Bush Food)

‘All that jungle around Mumeka, on the other side of the river.. that’s where we go looking for manme (bush food) like manyawok (cheeky yam) and karrbarda (long yam). The yawk yawk (young woman spirit) is holding a kunkaninj (digging stick), kun-madj (dilly bag) and all that manme.’ Jennifer Wurrkidj 2021

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Bah-je (hunting bag) 2007

Linda Gurawana is a Djinang speaker with a long history of working at Babbarra Women’s Centre.

In Linda’s language, bah-je describes a woven hunting bag or dilly bag.

This three-colour design was created in 2007 and continues to be printed by the centre staff in Maningrida. 

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Bah-je (hunting bag) 2007

Linda Gurawana is a Djinang speaker with a long history of working at Babbarra Women’s Centre.

In Linda’s language, bah-je describes a woven hunting bag or dilly bag.

This three-colour design was created in 2007 and continues to be printed by the centre staff in Maningrida. 

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Bah-je (hunting bag) 2007

Linda Gurawana is a Djinang speaker with a long history of working at Babbarra Women’s Centre.

In Linda’s language, bah-je describes a woven hunting bag or dilly bag.

This three-colour design was created in 2007 and continues to be printed by the centre staff in Maningrida. 

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Makéddja (Turtle)

Makéddja is the generic word for turtle in the Ndjébbana language of the Kunibidji people of Maningrida.

 

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Karrbarda (Long Yam) and Mimih (spirit being)

“This design is about collecting karrbarda (yams). The old people use these kungarrndutj (digging sticks) to dig the yams from under the ground. They carry the kunmatj (dilly bags) on their heads for collecting bush food. These yams are purple on the saltwater side of country and inland they are white.” – Deborah Wurrkidj

Deborah Wurrkidj is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land. In this design, she has depicted Kun-madj (dilly bag) and karrbarda (long yam). Women dig up long yams with kungarrndutj (digging sticks) and they are then cooked in the ashes of the fire to be eaten.

Kun-madj, or dilly bag, is a large woven collecting basket. These large bags are often made from the vine ‘Malasia scandens’, a strong pliable plant that grows along the floor 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 large collections of yams. They can also be made from Pandanus spiralis, a plant that grows in many areas of Arnhem Land.

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Djomi (Fresh Water Spirit)

This design depicts the story of the artist’s ancestral dreaming, the Djómi (Fresh Water Spirit).

The Djómi figure is a mermaid-like spirit with fish tail that lives in the freshwater stream that flows out to the sea cliff near Maningrida. Djómi is known to be a very powerful fertility symbol.

“If you go there, you can get pregnant easily. Djómi has babies, and they can give other babies too. The Djómi spirit is so powerful, that women can end up with multiple babies at once, twins or sometimes even more. The Djómi spirits lay eggs near the sacred freshwater stream in Maningrida. Inside the eggs are human babies as well as young Djómi. Men do not go near that swamp, because Djomi is so powerful that men might get pregnant there too. So men are too scared of that Djómi. When we visit the Djómi freshwater spring, we can hear young Djómi  crying. They sound like normal babies crying, those Djómi spirits. They are looking for a mother. This Djómi is my dreaming, I got permission from my djungkay (ritual manager) to paint this Djómi design. For me I always ask my djunguy permission to paint, because that is our cultural way. This design also depicts the freshwater lily leaves and seaweed from the base of the sea floor.” Joy Galrbin