Babbarra Fabric

• Size: 
• Artist: 

The freshwater birds are looking for manme (food), they’re down the river at Benembenemdi.The birds in my design are kurrubirlah, mandjangarli, barrak-barrak & ngalkordow. My dad told me about this story, he taught me how to do painting on the rock country and bark painting and hollow log. When I was 12 and 13 I started to paint freshwater birds that I saw at my country. My father painted lots of animals like kangaroo, bolong (rainbow serpent), bird, all kind of animal. He was a really good artist. This animal is from my country, place called Benembenemdi, that place is rock country with lots of sand and river. – Jay Jurrupula Rostron 2024

Freshwater birds showcased in this design:

‘kurrubirlah’ – bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius). Some Kune speakers have a variant pronunciation ‘kurruburlah’

‘mandjangarli’ – darter, (Anhinga melanogaster novaehollandiae).

‘barrak-barrak’ – little pied cormorant (Phalacrocax melanoleucas)

‘ngalkordow’ – brolga (Antigone rubicunda)

Design printed by Publisher Textiles in Sydney NSW

OATMEAL LINEN BASE WITH BLUE, MAUVE AND GOLD PAINT

Thank you to the Bininj Kunwok Language Centre for assisting Babbarra Women’s with correct spelling and definitions of the freshwater birds showcased in Jay’s design. 

• Size: 300cm x 137cm
• Artist: Lennie Goya-Airra

Mankotbe (bush onion) grows under the ground, we follow the vine to dig it up. It is brown on the outside and white inside and we cook it on the fire, just like a potato. All the old people used to eat Mankotbe on my homeland. My grandmother showed me how to find that plant and the first time I ate so much my mouth got sore! You can’t be too greedy.

This design brings back good memories for me. I used to eat Mankotbe when I was young and living at my homeland Buluhkaduru. In those old times, my house was made of paper bark and sticks. If we wanted to come into town we had to walk, and it’s a long walk, so we would fill our dilly bags with sugar bag honey, Mankotbe and long yams to eat on the way. They were good times for me.

You can find Mankotbe any time of the year- the plant has big black leaves. When you find one onion, you know there is big mob around- they are always connected by a big long vine underground

• Size: 330 x 140cm

Abigail has been working as an artist at Bábbarra Women’s Centre since 2012. She joined the team as an arts worker in 2022. Abigail comes from a strong line of talented artists, her late mother is the renowned Jennifer Wurrkidj and her grandmother was Helen Lanyinwanga. Three generations of women from Abigail’s family have worked together at Bábbarra Women’s Centre, sharing ancestral knowledge and creating beautiful textile designs.

• Size: 180cm x 137cm
• Name: Charmaine Pascoe

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

• Size: 200 x 112cm
• Fabric: Cotton 100%

• Length: 200 x 137cm
• Fabric: Linen 100% with Metallic Ink