Item X 105060 djerrh milebankmiken dja milengarrkngarr | Bag. Kunwinjku. Gunbalanya, Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. 2003

Summary

This pandanus handbag by Connie Nayinggul has slightly different open spaces and is known as djerrh milebakmiken dja milegarrkngarr. The artist has combined several different forms including a large curl stich, which has been combined with single buttonhole stitches over a thin coil bundle. At Injalak Arts and Crafts the objects that are the most diverse and rich in complexity are pandanus bags, comparable to a western handbag. They have their origins in the string bag, which has been used as an object in Gunbalanya pre dating mission times.

Connie Nayinggul has previously worked as a cataloguer for Injalak and as a Park Ranger. When she is not raising her family she occasionally makes coiled baskets, sometimes in a fruit basket style.

Local Name

djerrh milebankmiken dja milengarrkngarr

Physical Description

Open space handbag, coiled and looped, with horizontal bands in alternate lace and looping of pandanus (orange, green, brown and purple) and undyed pandanus. The three string handle is attached to the rim onopposite sides of the bag.