• 25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree
  • 25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree
  • 25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree
  • 25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree
  • 25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree

Joy Wilfred Bundoola

25. Weaving Under the Pandanus Tree

  

"Dilly bags, spears, baskets, mat all together weaving under the pandanus tree."

    • Acrylic on metal
    • Dimensions: 49 x 37cm
    • Cat No. 315-23

"Ngilipitji is my Country, that's where I grew up. From Ngilipitji we went to Walker River, walking on foot. My language is Yolngu Matha. My clan is Wagilak on my father's side, Ritharrngu on my mother's side. My totems are wild honey and black crow."

Joy Wilfred is a Ritharrngu artist who lives and works with her sisters and niece in Numbulwar. Joy’s artistic practice is heavily influenced by her grandmother, who took her out bush to harvest and peel pandanus for wulbung (basket) weaving, and to dig and prepare dye materials to colour the pandanus. Joy is renowned for her tireless work ethic, weaving at all hours of the day and through the night. Primarily using traditional pandanus techniques for her wulbung (baskets), epic pandanus mats and dilly bags (which Joy remembers her family using to hold wild honey), Joy is also known to experiment with ghost nets and shade cloth for another form of bag known as yir, using acrylics to paint culturally significant designs. 

Built on self-determination, Numbulwar Numburindi Arts (NNA) is a colletive or artists whose mission is to keep culture strong. Established in 2019, Numbulwar’s first art centre is 100 per cent owned and controlled by the community. Born from the community’s desire to practice and engage with traditional culture, NNA is a space for artistic and cultural expression. Champions of fibre art, NNA artists marry naturally-dyed and locally-harvested pandanus with bright and bold ghost nets, abandoned fishing line retrieved from Numbulwar’s shoreline. Our Wulbung (baskets) and Yir (dillybags) fit as naturally in traditional applications as they do in contemporary, urban environments. Numbulwar sits on the Rose River and belongs to the Nunggayinbala clan, one of the Wubuy or Nunggubuyu speaking clans from the region. Ceremonial activities are still very important within the region and occur regularly.


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