Joshua Mamarika and Leanne Lippo are Masters of their craft and have been exploring different carving techniques and alternate medium's used for their spear heads. The spears are made with, Yimundungwa (Northern Cypress), Maladarr (Rock) & Milyenjinja (Banyan). 

Joshua, a Warnumamalya man from Groote Eylandt and Leanne a Kenbi woman met on Groote Eylandt over thirty years ago. Marrawudi Art Centre are lucky enough see Joshua and Leanne regularly, with their family frequently staying with their extended Mirarr family at Djirrbiyak Outstation in Kakadu.

Leanne Lippo & Joshua Mamarika collect wood together, they bend spears over fire to make them straight, help each other by stripping, bending, and carving the wood into spears. Leanne paints the spears and Josh does the cutting and carving. 

Together these beautiful spears are made.

“We learn from the old people. We learn how to make spears. That’s our story".

“We have to walk miles and miles to find the right wood, it takes 4-7 hours to make the spears, from stripping, drying, carving, and painting. They’re either Stringybark or Hibiscus wood. The spears with the echidna quills are good for fighting and hunting. We scrape the palm string and roll it into a rope and then we dye it in colours, it takes really long time. The stone heads take sometimes 12 hours to carve the stone into the right shape".

“This is an old way of making a spear head. We learn from the old people.. learn how to make spears. We have to walk miles and miles to find the right wood, it takes 4-7 hours to make the spears, from stripping, drying, carving, and painting. They’re either Stringybark or Hibiscus wood".

"They used this spear for fighting, back at Groote, in those days. So its really old. But its an old technique, that they taught… They used this spear for fighting, back at Groote, in those days. So its really old.”

“This is an old way of making a spear head. They use this to spearing wallaby, mainly animals, on land.. It is very hard work to do rock spears. The string is banyan tree string, hard work too. Cut it, strip it and dry it up and then we can use on spear.. also palm tree. Old ladies use this for making bags, weaving. But they can use on spears too. It is very strong.”

“This is a dancing spear. With the colours on top. Red, yellow, white, black. Mainly for ceremony, when people have passed away. Red ochre from rock we grind, and possum fur.”

It is very hard work. The stone heads take sometimes 12 hours to carve the stone into the right shape.”

They used it for hunting, for kangaroo, sometimes for fighting spear too. But its an old technique, that they taught. 

“They used this for fighting spear, but the red one inside is really poisonous. It’s really painful.. a red dust that can stay inside your body, and its really poisonous.”

Mamurrkbijinungkwa (Hunting Spear) showing September 2022

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