Arnhem Weavers - Mapuru Weaving Workshop 5 days

Workshops are offered to women interested in Yolngu culture where the focus is textiles. The knowledge and skills the participants will be shown by the workshop leaders has been passed down for thousands of years, “it is, as it always has been”. Participants will learn how to collect barks, pandanus and other plants. They will then be shown how to prepare the fibres for dyeing before weaving or spinning.

It is assumed that workshop participants are motivated to engage with and learn about Yolngu culture and therefore will be keen to learn the traditional skills offered by these women. English is not the first language for these women.

In addition there will be opportunities for those interested participants to take part in hunting expeditions, including collecting mud crabs, a variety of shellfish, fish and other game that Mäpuru residents regularly hunt.

There are two elderly women who have lived on their remote ancestral homeland all their lives, daily they spin and weave articles that they need for themselves, their relatives, for ceremonies, for sale and to maintain the skills and knowledge of their ancestors. These sisters have remarkable skill, this is shown by the extent to which they have traveled throughout Australia teaching their skills through workshops at galleries and museums.

These women are expert at utilising a variety of seasonally available materials for their weaving. They use pandanus leaves, roots, and bark for spinning and weaving, as well as a wide selection of roots, leaves and fruits to dye the fibres before spinning and weaving.

These women see that if this project succeeds it will create meaningful employment as well as financial independence for themselves and their families, they are striving to create a welfare-free future for their people, without having to leave their traditional lands.

The workshops are held at Mäpuru. Mäpuru is a home-land situated on the mainland 10 minutes flight south of Elcho Island, North East Arnhem Land. The residents are all Yolngu and connected ancestrally to the area. Mapuru has a permanent population of about 100.

Workshop Costs:

The cost is $150 per day, per person for the workshops. This is best brought out as cash as there is no access to banks or automatic teller machines at Mäpuru. Darwin is the closest bank and post office to get cash and the women don’t have access to these services. Just prior to departure all fees are paid direct to Linda Marathuwarr.

Workshop numbers: A minimum number of 5 participants are necessary for the workshops to be offered. So that learning and engagement with the teachers is personal with independent instruction, there is a maximum of 8 participants.

Securing a place in a workshop: A deposit of 50% is required to make sure you have a place. If there are insufficient numbers four weeks before the planned date of travel to run a workshop then the full deposit will be refunded. We suggest that people endeavour to organise their own groups of five to eight with friends and professional associates to ensure the workshop proceeds.

Full details here www.arnhemweavers.com