Bamboo Dreaming Range
Bamboo Dreaming Range
Made In Hemp is thilled to offer this fantastic range of bamboo clothing, made by our friends at Kingston Grange in partnership with the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation.
Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation (Warlukurlangu) is an Indigenous organisation that creates, promotes and preserves Aboriginal heritage and culture of Warlpiri people. It is a major source of employment for the artists in the region and works towards empowering their social and economic wellbeing through the production, marketing and distribution of their visual arts and crafts.The organisation provides sustainable and culturally appropriate employment opportunities to alleviate disadvantages and poverty in surrounding communities. It conducts professional development workshops which provides artist with an opportunity to learn new skills and techniques and experiment with different media.
For more information on this fantastic corporation, please check out their website - https://warlu.com/
Copyright of all artworks and text remains with the artists and Aboriginal traditional owners and is administered on their behalf by Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
These are their stories -
Bush Tail Possum
Janganpa Jukurrpa (Brush-tail Possum Dreaming)- Mawurrji
Janganpa Jukurrpa (common brush-tail possum [Trichosurus vulpecula] Dreaming) travels all over Warlpiri country. ‘Janganpa’ are nocturnal animals that often nest in the hollows of white gum trees (‘wapunungka’). This story comes from a big hill called Mawurrji, west of Yuendumu and north of Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs). A group of ‘janganpa’ ancestors resided there. Every night they would go out in search of food. Their hunting trips took them to Wirlki and Wanapirdi, where they found ‘pamapardu’ (flying ants). They journeyed on to Ngarlkirdipini looking for water. A Nampijinpa women was living at Mawurrji with her two daughters. She gave her daughters in marriage to a Jupurrurla ‘janganpa’ but later decided to run away with them. The Jupurrurla angrily pursued the woman. He tracked them to Mawurrji where he killed them with a stone axe. Their bodies are now rocks at this place. Warlpiri people perform a young men’s initiation ceremony, which involves the Janganpa Jukurrpa. The Janganpa Jukurrpa belongs to Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men and Nakamarra/Napurrurla women. In Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent this Jukurrpa. ‘Janganpa’ tracks are often represented as ‘E’ shaped figures and concentric circles are used to depict the trees in which the ‘janganpa’ live, and also the sites at Mawurrji.
Artist: Glen Jampijinpa Martin
Bush Tomato
Wanakiji Jukurrpa (Bush Tomato Dreaming)
The Wanakiji Jukurrpa (bush tomato [Solanum chippendalei] Dreaming) travels through Yaturlu (near Mount Theo, north of Yuendumu). “Wanakiji” grows in open spinifex country and is a small, prickly plant with purple flowers that bears green fleshy fruit with many small black seeds. After collecting the fruit the seeds are removed with a small wooden spoon called ‘kajalarra’. The fruit then can be eaten raw or threaded onto skewers called ‘turlturrpa’ and then cooked over a fire. ‘Wanakiji’ can also be skewered and left to dry. When they are prepared in this way it is called ‘turlturrpa’ and the fruit can be kept for a long time. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. The Wanakiji Jukurrpa belongs to Napanangka/Napangardi women and Japanangka/Japangardi men.
Artist: Juliette Nakamarra Morris
Mina Mina
Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina mina Dreaming) – Ngalyipi
This ‘Jukurrpa” (Dreaming) comes from Mina Mina, a very important women’s Dreaming site far to the west of Yuendumu near Lake Mackay and the WA boarder. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this Dreaming are Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men; the are is sacred to Napangardi and Napanangka women. There are a number of ‘mulju’ (water soakages) and a ‘maluri’ (clay pan) at Mina Mina.
In the Dreamtime, ancestral women danced at Mina Mina and ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) rose up out of the ground. The women collected the digging sticks and then travelled on the east, dancing, digging for bush tucker, collecting ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine [ Tinospora smilacina]), and creating many places as they went. ‘Ngalyipi’ is a rope like creeper that grows up the trunks and limbs of trees, including ‘kurrkara’ (desert oak [Allocasuarina decaisneana])/ It is used as a ceremonial wrap and as a strap to carry ‘parraja’ (coolamons) and ‘ngam’ (water carriers). ‘Ngalyipi’ is also used to tie around the forehead to cure headaches, and to blind cuts.
The women stopped at Karntakurlangu, Janyinki, Parapurnta, Kimayi, and Munyuparntiparnti, sites spanning from the west to the east of Yundumu. When they stopped, the women dug for bush foods like ‘jintiparnts’ (desert truffle [Elderia arenivaga]). The Dreaming track eventually took them far beyond Warlpiri country. The track passed through Coniston in Anmatyerre country to the east, and then went on to Alcoota and Aileron far to the northeast of Yuendumu and eventually on into Queensland.
In Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, sinuous lines are used to represent the ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine). Concentric circles are often used to represent the ‘jintiparnta’ (desert truffles) that the women have collected, while straight lines can be used to depict the ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks).
Artist: Kristy Anne Napanangka brown
Seed Dreaming
Watiya-warnu Jukurrpa (Seed Dreaming)
This painting tells the story of a Jangala ‘watiya-warnu’ (Acacia tenuissima) ancestor who travelled south from a small hill called Ngurlupurranyangu to Yamunturrngu (Mount Liebig). As he travelled, he picked the ‘watiya-warnu’ seeds and placed them in ‘parrajas’ (food carriers), one of which he carried on his head. Watiya-warnu is a seed bearing tree that grows in open spinifex or mulga country. When people returned to their camp after collecting the seeds, they would make large windbreaks for shelter and winnow the seed in the late afternoon. Immature ‘watiya-warnu’ seed is ground into a paste and can be used to treat upset stomachs. The associated ‘watiya-warnu’ ceremony involves the preparation of a large ground painting. This Jukurrpa belongs to Nampijinpa/Nangala women and Jampijinpa/Jangala men. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. In paintings of this Dreaming ‘U’ shapes are often depicting women collecting the ‘watiya-warnu’ seeds. Oval shapes represent the ‘parrajas’ where they carry the seeds and strait lines beside them frequently portrait digging sticks.
Artist Marshall Jangala Robertson
Yirrkala Dreaming
Yirrkala Dreaming (East Arnhem Land)
Artist: Ben Jungarrayi Vincent. (Skin name Gungorogone)
Ben has painted a story deriving from his mother’s Jukurrpa, Dreaming in reference to the Duhwa Clan from Yirrkala, East Arnhem Land.
“Everything in the Yolnu world view is made up of two moieties. One is Yirritja and the other one is Dhuwa.
Dhuwa and Yirrita make up our world view. They are two halves of our holistic world view. Yirritja and Dhuwa fit together perfectly.
Everything in Yirritja and Dhuwa is connected. Yirritja and Dhuwa people intermarry and everything in the land is either Yirritja or Dhuwa”.
Artist: Ben Jungarrayi Vincent. (Skin name Gungorogone)
Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming) – Warntungurru
This painting depicts the Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant
Dreaming) from Warntungurru, west of Yuendumu. ‘Pamapardu’ is the Warlpiri name for the flying ants or termites that build the large anthills found throughout Warlpiri country. This country belongs to Nakamarra/Napurrurla women and Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. ‘Pamapardu’ are flying ants. They build earth mounds (‘mingkirri’) that are common in the Tanami area. When heavy rains come in summer the ‘mingkirri’ get flooded out, so the ‘pamapardu’ grow wings and fly off to make new homes, following their queens to dry mounds or to build a new. When they have found their new home they drop their wings. In this stage they can be collected, lightly cooked in coals and eaten. As they fall to the ground women collect them to eat because they are nice and sweet. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. When this Jukurrpa story is painted concentric circles are used to represent the ‘mingkirri’ and the rockholes involved in the story, including the central one at Wapurtali (Mt Singleton). Dashes are often around the circles to represent the ‘pamapardu’.
ARTIST: MARIA NAMPIJINPA BROWN
Lukarrara Jukurrpa (Desert Fringe-rush Seed Dreaming)
This Jukurrpa belongs to women of the Nakamarra/Napurrurla subsections and to Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. This Dreaming is associated with a place called Jaralypari, north of Yuendumu. Lukarrara (desert fringe-rush [Fimbristylis oxystachya & Fimbristylis eremophila]) is a grass with an edible seed. The seeds are traditonally ground on a large stone (‘ngatinyanu’) with a smaller stone (‘ngalikirri’) to make flour. This flour is mixed with water (‘ngapa’) to make damper cakes which are cooked and eaten. In Warlpiri traditional paintings iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. Large concentric circles often represent the site of Jaralypari and also the seed bearing grass Lukurrara. ‘U’ shapes can depict the Karnta (women) collecting ‘lukarrara’ and straight lines are frequently used to portray seeds that fall down to the ground and are also collected by women using their ‘parrajas’ (wooden food carriers) and ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks).
ARTIST: LORRAINE NAPANGARDI WHEELER
Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming) – Warntungurru
This paintng depicts the Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming) from Warntungurru, west of Yuendumu. ‘Pamapardu’ is the Warlpiri name for the flying ants or termites that build the large anthills found throughout Warlpiri country. This country belongs to Nakamarra/Napurrurla women and Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. ‘Pamapardu’ are flying ants. They build earth mounds (‘mingkirri’) that are common in the Tanami area. When heavy rains come in summer the ‘mingkirri’ get flooded out, so the ‘pamapardu’ grow wings and fly off to make new homes, following their queens to dry mounds or to build a new. When they have found their new home they drop their wings. In this stage they can be collected, lightly cooked in
coals and eaten. As they fall to the ground women collect them to eat because they are nice and sweet. In contemporary Warlpiri paintngs traditonal iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, partcular sites and other elements. When this Jukurrpa story is painted concentric circles are used to represent the ‘mingkirri’ and the rockholes involved in the story, including the central one at Wapurtali (Mt Singleton). Dashes are often depicted around the circles to represent the ‘pamapardu’.