Eel Trap
Maker
Yvonne Koolmatrie
(1944)
Date1991
Object number00015871
NameTrap
MediumSedge reeds, string
DimensionsOverall: 1170 × 585 mm, 2050 g
Copyright© Yvonne Koolmatrie
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
Collections
DescriptionA traditional Aboriginal woven eel trap made in Berri, South Australia by Ngarrindjeri artist Yvonne Koolmatrie. Made from a bundle of coiled sedge reed stems with a simple loop stitch.
HistoryEel traps have been used by countless generations of Ngarrindjeri people, collecting eels in the River Murray. All along the river systems of the south-east, Indigenous people created similar traps, for which they collected sedge grasses. They dried and split, and wove the sedge into marine traps in a distinct Ngarrindjeri manner.
Yvonne Koolmatrie's use of sedge as her primary medium connects her to her land and to the places where the spiny sedge is gathered. The near loss of the Ngarrindjeri weaving tradition, became her catalyst to pass on her skills and create works so that her artworks will endure for future generations.
Koolmatrie’s experimental and exploratory works in local grasses woke an interest in a vanishing cultural practice, as a teacher and practitioner she has played a pivotal role in the revitalisation of weaving. Her intuitive process allows the sculptural potential of functional objects to be realised in innovative interpretations of traditional forms.SignificanceThis eel trap is a replica of a practical object that countless generations of Ngarrindjeri people have made to collect eels in the River Murray. All along the river systems of the south-east, Indigenous people created similar traps, for which they collected sedge grasses. These, dried and split, they wove into marine traps in the distinctive Ngarrindjeri manner.
