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.
Status: Stock
Features:
FABRIC ARTWORK
This product was screenprinted by Yolŋu art workers at Bula’Bula Arts. We print small batches of tea towels, tshirts and fabric lengths by hand because we love putting Yolŋu designs on everyday items – especially ones that balanda (non-Yolŋu) use! Due to the lovely handmade nature of this product, print quality may vary.
Available in four fabric designs and multiple colourways:
Manymak (very good)! Buying Bula’Bula Arts products helps us build a sustainable income source for our 150 artists and artworkers from Ramingining and surrounding outstations.
WORKING WITH FLYING FOX FABRICS
We work with Flying Fox Fabrics, a small social enterprise based in Darwin. Flying Fox Fabrics, make and sell accessories, clothing and homewares from fabrics designed by Aboriginal artists which have been hand printed in Australia. They work in partnership with Aboriginal artists and fair trade organisations in Cambodia that train and employ disabled artisans.
This story has been told by old people when they heard this story. I heard from my grandma too. It’s a dream time story. Long time ago there live Moon he live near river bank with his family, two sons and wives. One day his two wives went out hunting looking for foods like yams, bush potatoes fruits and plums collecting cycad nuts to make damper for them. The two boys also decided to go out they ask their father to look for fish, ducks and goose for them to eat. They went to swamp area where there was lot of ducks and goose they started spearing, when it was enough, they went back to their camp and told their father they got plenty of ducks. When they were cooking and same time they were eating wings of the duck and said to their father, “Dad can you wait for body part of the duck meat so that you will have that instead of wings.” “Okay he said I’ll wait.” When all the ducks were cooked they did not give their father; the two sons said to him, “Dad can we go out to spear more ducks for us.” “Sure father reply I will wait for next lot.”
The two sons react three times, which they did not share because they were hungry or being greedy. But then their father was making fishing net sort of bag for catching fish. He ask them,” boys come here I’ll try you two to go into this fishing net to see how big will I catch fish for us.” The boys went into the net and their father said, “I will pull you two to the river bank, he told them,” he tied rope tightly and said ,”I will throw you two to the river to be drown, because you did not shared ducks for me to eat so now I will kill you two”. “Boys said no dad, don’t kill us.” Their father could not listen to them he was kept on pulling. Boys cried and cried to release them from net.
Father Moon just threw them into the river then they were sinking down into deep water and they were dead. After he threw them, on the way back to their camp he broke the branch of the tree and started pulling along the track that he was pulling them, just to get rid of track so that their mothers won’t see what had happen to them. Mothers of two sons came back from hunting they brought plenty of bush foods, when they were sitting they ask the father Moon.
“Where did boys go. ” Father told them “they are still out spearing goose or ducks”.
They ask him again, “but it’s getting dark soon, where are they really,” “maybe they are resting because they speared lots of goose and ducks.” The two mothers talked among themselves. Hey sister we don’t need to give this food we have to look for them first and find where they are”. So other sister said, “Okay let’s search for them.” Mothers started looking for them, they look everywhere but could not find them, they said. “Maybe he killed them and we want to kill and burn him too,” same time they were crying for their children. So one of the mother said, “sister lets organise something ready to kill him tonight when he goes to sleep.” “That’s good let’s do it.”
They were collecting firewoods, grass, paper bark, twigs branches and so on. They hid near where their camp was. When the father Moon went to sleep, they were start putting around making circle where he was sleeping in the middle. “Let us now burn him while he is sleeping,” so they did, the fire was now burning getting close to him then he felt hot and said, “What are you doing to me.” “And the mothers said to him, we are burning because you killed our sons and it’s your turn to die.” He was now burning and same time changing his colour it turn white, after that he climb up the tree and said, “when people die they won’t come back to live like me, you can see me again I am the moon.”
At the end of May 2024, Bula’bula artists, along with Milingimbi Arts and Culture, Maningrida Arts, and Gapuwiak Arts, were invited to attend the Langarra Bush Gallery—a three-day camp that included an exhibition, workshops, and discussions for the Weavers of Arnhem Land. Langarra is an island located a 20-minute boat ride from Elcho Island in the Arafura Sea.
The Bush Gallery provided weavers with an opportunity to create work that pushed their boundaries, encouraging them to experiment with new techniques or showcase unique skills. The goal was to foster a supportive environment where weavers could create and present work they were excited about, facilitate discussions, connections, growth, and instilling pride in their craft.
As a result of this project, our weavers produced traditional Yolngu items from hand-spun bush string, including bags, hunting and fishing items, and wearable ceremonial pieces. Additionally, they explored new approaches with string by creating canvas-shaped formats. This format invite viewers to examine the intricate details, colours, and craftsmanship, highlighting the inherent beauty of the raki.
Matjka are ceremonial body adornments made from balgurr (Kurrajong). The bark is stripped from the tree, smashed with a rock to soften then boiled, sometimes with natural bush dyes. The balgurr is then rolled in the a rope then used to create ceremonial wear.
Matjka are ceremonial body adornments made from balgurr (Kurrajong). The bark is stripped from the tree, smashed with a rock to soften then boiled, sometimes with natural bush dyes. The balgurr is then rolled in the a rope then used to create ceremonial wear.
At the end of May 2024, Bula’bula artists, along with Milingimbi Arts and Culture, Maningrida Arts, and Gapuwiak Arts, were invited to attend the Langarra Bush Gallery—a three-day camp that included an exhibition, workshops, and discussions for the Weavers of Arnhem Land. Langarra is an island located a 20-minute boat ride from Elcho Island in the Arafura Sea.
The Bush Gallery provided weavers with an opportunity to create work that pushed their boundaries, encouraging them to experiment with new techniques or showcase unique skills. The goal was to foster a supportive environment where weavers could create and present work they were excited about, facilitate discussions, connections, growth, and instilling pride in their craft.
As a result of this project, our weavers produced traditional Yolngu items from hand-spun bush string, including bags, hunting and fishing items, and wearable ceremonial pieces. Additionally, they explored new approaches with string by creating canvas-shaped formats. This format invite viewers to examine the intricate details, colours, and craftsmanship, highlighting the inherent beauty of the raki.
At the end of May 2024, Bula’bula artists, along with Milingimbi Arts and Culture, Maningrida Arts, and Gapuwiak Arts, were invited to attend the Langarra Bush Gallery—a three-day camp that included an exhibition, workshops, and discussions for the Weavers of Arnhem Land. Langarra is an island located a 20-minute boat ride from Elcho Island in the Arafura Sea.
The Bush Gallery provided weavers with an opportunity to create work that pushed their boundaries, encouraging them to experiment with new techniques or showcase unique skills. The goal was to foster a supportive environment where weavers could create and present work they were excited about, facilitate discussions, connections, growth, and instilling pride in their craft.
As a result of this project, our weavers produced traditional Yolngu items from hand-spun bush string, including bags, hunting and fishing items, and wearable ceremonial pieces. Additionally, they explored new approaches with string by creating canvas-shaped formats. This format invite viewers to examine the intricate details, colours, and craftsmanship, highlighting the inherent beauty of the raki.
At the end of May 2024, Bula’bula artists, along with Milingimbi Arts and Culture, Maningrida Arts, and Gapuwiak Arts, were invited to attend the Langarra Bush Gallery—a three-day camp that included an exhibition, workshops, and discussions for the Weavers of Arnhem Land. Langarra is an island located a 20-minute boat ride from Elcho Island in the Arafura Sea.
The Bush Gallery provided weavers with an opportunity to create work that pushed their boundaries, encouraging them to experiment with new techniques or showcase unique skills. The goal was to foster a supportive environment where weavers could create and present work they were excited about, facilitate discussions, connections, growth, and instilling pride in their craft.
As a result of this project, our weavers produced traditional Yolngu items from hand-spun bush string, including bags, hunting and fishing items, and wearable ceremonial pieces. Additionally, they explored new approaches with string by creating canvas-shaped formats. This format invite viewers to examine the intricate details, colours, and craftsmanship, highlighting the inherent beauty of the raki.
At the end of May 2024, Bula’bula artists, along with Milingimbi Arts and Culture, Maningrida Arts, and Gapuwiak Arts, were invited to attend the Langarra Bush Gallery—a three-day camp that included an exhibition, workshops, and discussions for the Weavers of Arnhem Land. Langarra is an island located a 20-minute boat ride from Elcho Island in the Arafura Sea.
The Bush Gallery provided weavers with an opportunity to create work that pushed their boundaries, encouraging them to experiment with new techniques or showcase unique skills. The goal was to foster a supportive environment where weavers could create and present work they were excited about, facilitate discussions, connections, growth, and instilling pride in their craft.
As a result of this project, our weavers produced traditional Yolngu items from hand-spun bush string, including bags, hunting and fishing items, and wearable ceremonial pieces. Additionally, they explored new approaches with string by creating canvas-shaped formats. This format invite viewers to examine the intricate details, colours, and craftsmanship, highlighting the inherent beauty of the raki.