Cockle Basket

Maker Yvonne Koolmatrie (1944)

Datec 1987

Object number00015874

NameBasket

MediumSedges, string

DimensionsOverall: 300 x 660 x 380 mm, 0.5 kg

ClassificationsTools and equipment

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionReplica of a practical object that countless generations of Ngarrindjeri people have made to collect cockles 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.HistoryMade in Berri, South AustraliaSignificanceKoolmatrie’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. Her use of Sedge as her primary medium connects her to her land and to the places where the spiny sedge is gathered. For the artist 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.