Bula’bula Arts

---

---

Raypiny Dhawu (Fresh Water Story)

All Aboriginal people originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘spiritual reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangarr (creative spirits) that were created long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the countryside, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country, the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it. These creative spirits took many forms and when they gave the land to each group, they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language.

 

The creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Many Ganalbingu artists paint totemic species significant to their clan. These can include baru (crocodile), banda (long necked turtle), buliya (catfish), yalman (waterlilies), gumang (magpie geese), dakawa (fresh water yabby), ratjuk (barramundi), warrnyu (flying fox) and more.

 

---

---

Lidji Lidji (Finch)

This artwork represents totemic finches. These birds herald the beginning of the dry season and are associated with the Ganalbingu clan. Lidji Lidji are also represented in ceremonial song and dance.

---

---

Woven Mat

Traditionally, Nganiyal (conical mats) were used as an insect screen when erected, and as a sitting mat when folded. They are used in Ceremony as well as a functional item. 

Nowadays, artists weave many different shapes including flat, round and oblong. 

---

---

Bottles

Robyn Djunginy began weaving bottle sculptures in 1983, after the Curator Djon Mundine, suggested to Djunginy that she may like to encase an empty gin bottle in Pandanus fibre ‘Chianti-style’ for an exhibition he was organising. Using a local twining technique, the artist began producing multiple woven bottles of various sizes. The sculptural qualities and the high workmanship of these objects have led them to be become recognised as key contemporary Aboriginal fibre works.

A decade after making her first bottle artworks, Djunginy began producing two-dimensional renderings of the woven sculptures on canvas.

Robyn has been the only artist from this area to produce and paint bottles, but has passed the bottle story on to her daughters.

This bottle was woven by Robyn’s daughter, Janice Djupuduwuy.

---

---

Woven Mat

Traditionally, Nganiyal (conical mats) were used as an insect screen when erected, and as a sitting mat when folded. They are used in Ceremony as well as a functional item. 

Nowadays, artists weave many different shapes including flat, round and oblong. 

---

---

Woven Mat

Traditionally, Nganiyal (conical mats) were used as an insect screen when erected, and as a sitting mat when folded. They are used in Ceremony as well as a functional item. 

Nowadays, artists weave many different shapes including flat, round and oblong. 

---

---

Woven Mat

Traditionally, Nganiyal (conical mats) were used as an insect screen when erected, and as a sitting mat when folded. They are used in Ceremony as well as a functional item. 

Nowadays, artists weave many different shapes including flat, round and oblong. 

---

---

Bathi (Pandanus Basket)

Bathi are woven from the split leaves of the Screw Palm (Pandanus Spiralis). Coil weaving was introduced to Arnhem Land in the 1930s. It was adapted from techniques used by Indigenous women throughout South East Australia.

---

---

Bapurru Nganiyal (Family mat)

Yolngu have complex, interconnected family structures spanning across Arnhem Land and this is the inspiration for Mary’s weaving. Mary has joined individual pieces together, to create a piece that represents and reflects her familial connections, bonds and interdependence. Her interconnected weaving represents a family portrait.

The weaving format and styles originate from the Yolngu Nation’s traditional Nganiyal (conical mats) which have ritual, ceremonial and practical significance within their cultural lives. The patterns, colours and designs are unique to each artist and comprise of differing techniques, often learned from their grandmothers through the manual transference of skills ranging from places to gather bush materials, techniques on how to harvest and prepare the pandanus, sourcing natural materials such as roots, leaves and barks for the dyeing process.  Over time, and especially in the case of Mary, she has advanced her own artistry, craftsmanship and aesthetics from her continual making, experimenting and refining. 

---

---

Jabiru

This is a story for the Wanybarrnga clan family.  The Jabiru is in the water and he flaps his wings, hitting the water and causes it to ripple.

After a funeral ceremony, leaders for this clan family draw the Jabiru’s water ripples into the sand/earth. This symbolises a cleansing and washing for Yolngu to be free to go on with normal life.