Item X 105059 kunyarl marrabbiba | Bag. Kunwinjku. Gunbalanya, Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. 2003

Summary

This string bag by Margaret Djogiba has been knotted, with horizontal bands of dyed fibre and a handle made of multistranded vegetable fibre. The fibre is made from sand palm, or marrabbi, and the colour of the alternating bands of dyed fibre are produced from the heart of the pandanus palm and the roots of Pognolobus reticulatus.

Margaret is one of the foremost fibre artists in western Arnhem Land and her signature style is the creation of the earliest known classic forms of twined conical baskets made from pandanus. She is also well-known for her twined mats that, like the conical baskets, incorporates an element of three-stranded twining. Margaret was one of the few artists to participate in the Twined Together workshops held at Museums Victoria and was commissioned to produce work for the touring exhibition, Re-Coil.

Local Name

kunyarl marrabbiba

Physical Description

String bag, knotted and looped, with horizontal bands of dyed pandanus (green and orange). The handle is made of multistranded vegetable fibre string attached to the rim on opposite sides of the bag.