Yir (Dilly Bag)
Nunggayinbala people have used dilly bags for thousands of years for practical and ceremonial purposes, but not until recently were they made from repurposed ghost nets and shade cloth fabric. Dilly bags, or “yir” in Nunggubuyu language, were traditionally made from pandanus or bark, and painted using different shades of ochre. The artists have now taken tradition to the next level by replicating the forms using found, contemporary materials that speak to the environmental deterioration of their homelands. These fashion-forward yir fit as naturally in traditional applications as they do in contemporary, urban environments. Equally, hang them on a wall or fill them with your groceries, beach towel or daily necessities as you head out the door.
- Cat No. 115-21
- Dimesions: 21cm x 40cm (52cm including handle)
- Painted shadecloth dilly bag
Virginia Wilfred is an expert weaver from Numbulwar.
Built on self-determination, Numbulwar Numburindi Arts (NNA) is a ollective of 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.
On standard shipping, our fulfilment time is 7 business days. For urgent orders, please select express post and we will generally fulfil within 2 business days. We are a very small team and shipping from Darwin can take some time. Thanks for your patience!
We pack all artworks securely to protect during shipping. All artworks and purchase above $100 are insured against damage during transit and require a signature on delivery. A tracking number is be provided as part of our shipping process to the contact details you provide.
As much as possible (for artworks under 1 metre) we use Australia Post to ship our artworks within Australia. For artworks that are large or fragile, we use Pack n Send to courier the artworks to you. For customers who purchase multiple artworks at once, we can get quotes to send your purchase via the regular shuttle between Darwin and major capital cities.
We do our best to provide accurate shipping costs on our website at check out, however every item for sale in our gallery is unique and as such, it is sometimes difficult to automate and estimate our shipping costs, especially when customers purchase more than one artwork at once. Our team reviews the postage paid on every order and on the odd occasion we have significantly overcharged or undercharged you, our team will be in contact to rectify. If you have any concerns, or you would like a custom shipping quote on an artwork, send us a note.
International customer? Please contact us to arrange a quote.
Visiting Darwin or a local? Local pick up available during normal opening hours.