Images(2)

Feathered armband

Artist Mavis Galikali Warrngilna Ganambarr (c 1966)

Datec 2005

Object number00040542

NameArmband

MediumPlant fibres, parrot feathers, cotton

Dimensions20 x 150 mm (5.9 in)

ClassificationsCeremonial artefact

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis feathered armband by Mavis Galikali Warrngilna Ganambarr of Galiwinku on Elcho Island, shows the skill of the weaver and the use of many components - pandanus, snail shells, the poisonous red seeds of the Crab's eye (Abrus precatorius) and bird feathers. Mavis Ganambarr is one of Australia’s leading fibre artists. She began fibre work under the watchful eye of her grandmother and aunties on Elcho Island where she lives with her husband and children. Passing on her knowledge of plants, recipes and techniques to a new generation helps them understand this important part of their culture and how to keep their country strong. Armbands and headbands are important to ceremonial activity throughout Indigenous Australia. This armband was used in ceremonial dance and is made from parrot feathers intricately woven and sewn together.HistoryGaliwin’ku is a community of the Yolŋu Aboriginal people and the only town on Elcho Island, some 550 kilometres north-east of Darwin. The community boasts a thriving arts centre, Elcho Island Arts, which services more than 200 Yolŋu artists who create Yolŋu art and designs that are direct inheritances from ancient times – and this creative island community that is making its mark on the worlds of art and fashion. The artforms and ceremonies passed on to today’s Yolŋu people express direct links to their significant creation sites and Ancestors. The arts centre has earned a strong reputation for the quality of weavings, paintings, and carvings informed by these ancestral histories. Artists pride themselves on originality of design and knowledge of traditional bush materials, including natural earth pigments, which are used in both traditional and contemporary artforms. SignificanceMavis Galikali Warrngilna Ganambarr is a leading practitioner in the Yolŋu tradition of weaving and shell stringing. Her innovative works highlight the unbroken practices of our First Nations women and their deep cultural connections and knowledge systems. These practices include harvesting and processing organic and contemporary fibres, feathers and shells to create intricate bodywear for adornment.