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Grasses 100% Cotton Sarong by Deborah Wurrkidj

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Grasses 100% Cotton Sarong by Deborah Wurrkidj

$250.00

1 in stock

Community: Maningrida
Outstation: Mumeka
Date of birth: 1971-03-01
Father's origin: Mumeka
Mother's origin: Barrihdjowkkeng

Biography

Deborah Kamanj Wurrkidj is a highly regarded and versatile artist known for seamlessly adapting to new art forms while upholding her strong clan traditions. Since 1991, she has worked with Bábbarra Designs, alongside her late mother, Helen Lanyinwanga, and her late sister, Jennifer Wurrkidj. As a leading textile artist and an integral member of the Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Deborah’s contributions have been pivotal to its artistic and cultural output. Deborah is the Duwa djungkay (ritual manager) for her mother and grandfathers ancestral dreaming stories.

Her work is vibrant, tactile, and intricate, drawing inspiration from the local natural environment and infused with deep cultural knowledge. Deborah’s extensive body of textile art reflects the innovative artistic evolution occurring in Maningrida, which is also evident in her work across various mediums including bush dye silk, screen print and lino print.

In addition to her textiles, Deborah is world-renowned for her bark paintings, lorrkkon (hollow log), and fibre baskets. Since 2001, she has exhibited extensively across Australia, Europe, the United States, and India. Her work is included in most of Australia’s major state gallery collections.

Yawk Yawk 100% Cotton Sarong by Janet Marawarr

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Yawk Yawk 100% Cotton Sarong by Janet Marawarr

$275.00

1 in stock

Community: Maningrida
Outstation: Mankorlod
Date of birth: 1962-06-22
Clan: Kurulk
Father's origin: Barrihdjowkkeng
Mother's origin: Mumeka

Biography

Janet Kalidjan Marawarr is a senior Kuninjku artist from Maningrida in central Arnhem Land, with a textile practice spanning almost 40 years at Bábbarra Women’s Centre. She comes from a strong family line of Kuninjku artists; her grandfather and her late husband’s father were pioneers of the Kuninjku dolobbo (bark painting) movement. Marawarr works across bark painting, lino printing, and screen-printed textiles, carrying the stories between media using colour, motifs and rarrk (cross hatching) to express her djang (ancestral creation stories).

Janet began printing at Bábbarra as a young woman, learning through observation. Her , draws on knowledge passed down through her family and elders, while also engaging with new materials and processes. As Janet explains:

“… I tell the same stories from bark painting to lino and screen. I can’t change anything, no.. The stories it’s all the same, we’re painting the same stories every single time. Bininj [Indigenous People] we are smart, we know already inside our brain and our heart what we can paint. Singing, painting, dancing, ceremony, it’s all tied together, it’s now and it’s our future.”[i]

Janet’s work has been shown nationally and internationally. In 2019, she travelled to Paris to launch the touring exhibition Jarracharra (Dry Season Wind) of which her textile designs were prominent. In 2022, her textiles were included in Aboriginal Screen-Printed Textiles from Australia’s Top End at the Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles. In 2021, Janet travelled to Aotearoa/New Zealand as part of a Māori Leadership and Global Trade Summit at Parliament House, where she met with Māori leaders and social enterprises working across business, governance, and culture.

In January 2023, Janet was invited by the Australian Consul-General in Kolkata to visit India as a guest of honour. During her visit to West Bengal and Odisha, she shared knowledge with women’s textile collectives including the Bridging Culture and Art Foundation’s Kantha studio in Tushkhali, Sadaf India Studio, and the Navajeevan Co-operative Society.

Beyond her art practice, Janet is a certified translator and a Director of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, as well as a member of its Arts and Culture Sub-Committee. She is also a Director of Nja–Merleya Aboriginal Corporation. Janet continues to play an important role at Bábbarra Women’s Centre, supporting the passing on of knowledge across generations through her art and leadership.

[i] Janet Marawarr in conversation with Ingrid Johanson in essay, Daluk. Ngarribekkan.., in publication Manburrba ‘Our story of printed cloth from Babbarra women’s Centre, CDU Press, 2023

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Kingking Scarf Cashmere Wool

$90.00

3 in stock

Wrap yourself in a masterpiece with our Scarves, available in luxurious mulberry silk for that silky-smooth flair or snuggly cashmere wool to keep you warm like a cozy hug. Now featuring your favourite artworks, these scarves are the stylish cherry on top of any outfit! The mulberry silk scarves have tassels and a silky sheen finish. The wool has no tassels and is more matt in colour

Damien & Yilpi Marks Family and Country Wool Scarf

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Damien & Yilpi Marks Family and Country Wool Scarf

$120.00

4 in stock

Wool,Silk scarf -DYM975
Artist: Damien and Yilpi Marks

This is a very detailed painting which describes a dry time of year in Damien's homeland, Mount Liebig. The painting illustrates aspects of landscape and culture around that area that was told to Damien by his great-grandmother and great- grandfather. There are women sitting with their children collecting bush potatoes (the mass of red shapes at the bottom of the painting). The women are talking and getting ready for a ceremony. There is one man (wati) sitting down with his waru (spear). The spinifex is dry and so the man is walking around making bushfires. He is a good man, he is undertaking controlled burnings so the spinifex burns up and then good fruits can grow after this. There are several symbols in this painting. The small sun-like symbols represent women's body painting these are the images the women are painting on each other as they sit down ready for inma traditional ceremony. There is a dry creek bed running through the painting (in red and white), and there are cracks in the ground and claypans. There are also dried rockholes (tjukula), and next to them are tali sandhills.

Murdie Morris Two Digs Dreaming Wool Scarf

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Murdie Morris Two Digs Dreaming Wool Scarf

$120.00

5 in stock

Wool,Silk scarf -MNM619

Artist: Murdie Nampijinpa MORRIS

Two dog ancestors, a Jampijinpa and a Napangardi, travelled from the west to the east. They dug holes in the ground and created warnirri (rockholes) and ngapa (waterholes) as they went. The two dogs separated. Eventually Jampijinpa became lonely and howled for Napangardi in the south. She came running to him, and they married each other at Ngarnka.

Simplicia Tipuamantumeri Wool Scarf by Better World Arts

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Simplicia Tipuamantumeri Wool Scarf by Better World Arts

$120.00

5 in stock

Wool,Silk scarf -SIT179

Artist: Simplicia Tipungwuti

Simplicia paints a story about an old lady who travelled around with her six kids looking for food and water. When the old lady couldn't find anything, she started making a hole and then the water came out. Lots of different animals came to the waterhole. The old lady made four islands like Darwin, Bathurst and here (Melville Island). She made the waters and all the sea animals like crabs, barramundis, mud mussels, longbums, stingrays, turtles, dugongs, fishes that were good for food. Then she made the islands. The old lady travelled with her kids on her back, making the islands. Old and young people came and they were making a fire and dancing around it. They were happy for all the water everywhere.

Murdie Morris Two Dogs Dreaming Lenzing Scarf by Better World Arts

Aboriginal Bush Traders

Murdie Morris Two Dogs Dreaming Lenzing Scarf by Better World Arts

$58.00

3 in stock

Scarf-Lenzig Modal 200x70cm-MNM600

In this Dreaming story, two dog ancestors, a Jampijinpa and a Napangardi, travelled from the west to the east. At Tapu (a rockhole), the two dogs separated. The female dog, Napangardi, went to the south. The male dog, Jampijinpa, went to the north. Eventually he became lonely and howled for Napangardi in the south. She came running to him, and they married each other at Ngarnka. They wore men's and women's marriage headdresses, and Jampijinpa painted himself with white clay for the ceremony. The two dogs continued running east, before arriving in Warlaku (Ali Curung). Many other dogs were living in Warlaku when they arrived. There were many families of dogs, mothers and fathers and children and uncles all living together. Jampijinpa and Napangardi made a burrow to rest in and started a big family of dogs there. They chose to stay in Warlaku and live with all the other dogs. In this way, the malikijarra Jukurrpa (two dogs Dreaming) tells the story of proper conduct in families and marriages.