Fish Trap
Maker
Frank Malkorda
(1936-1994)
Date1982
Object number00006418
NameFish trap
MediumCane
DimensionsOverall: 606 x 2948 x 555 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA woven fishtrap with a double mouth made from sedge grass by Frank Malkorda and Frank Gurrmanamana. The trap is conical shape with a double mouth and made in the the Blyth River region near Maningrida in the Northern Territory.
Frank Malkorda was a skilled trap maker and this particular trap was featured in the Australian Bicentennial Exhibition of 1988. He was also an accomplished Djambitj singer and ritual leader in north-central Arnhem Land. Frank Malkorda grew up in Arnhem Land in the Blyth River region. His father was Nakarra and his mother a member of the Anbarra people.
HistoryThis sedge grass made fish trap was mainly used to catch barramundi but would also catch catfish. It was used in rivers and would be set at the end of the dry season/ beginning of the wet season. This was the time when the fish would swim upstream and could be caught in the traps. Traps could be set on tidal flats and also had a small fence either side to guide the fish into the wide end of the trap.
Frank Malkorda was a skilled trap maker and this particular trap was featured in the Australian Bicentennial Exhibition of 1988. He was also an accomplished Djambitj singer and ritual leader in north-central Arnhem Land. Frank Malkorda grew up in Arnhem Land in the Blyth River region. His father was Nakarra and his mother a member of the Anbarra people.
SignificanceThis fish trap represents the traditional food collecting techniques from Arnhem Land. Traps such as this reflect the highly skilled methods of hunting and fishing that were used and the intricate knowledge of the seasons and the environment that existed.
