Mol miṉḏirr (black conical basket)

Milingimbi artists choose to create their woven artworks solely using materials harvested from their homelands. Many works are made from gunga (pandanus). The new shoots of the pandanus palm are plucked from the central crown of the tree. The fine serrated edges are removed by running a fingernail down each side of the frond, which is then split into two and peeled to expose the inner fibre. Using extensive knowledge of local vegetation, these strips are then dyed using colours extracted from the leaves, roots and bark of selected native plants and left to dry in the sun. Following this lengthy process, the artist weaves the prepared fibres into their desired form.
The Milingimbi Art and Culture certificate for this work states: Helen Ganalmirriwuy Garrawurra understands the power of colour. Her work can be distinguished by the striking use of blacks, oranges, reds and other earthy hues. Her monochrome pieces exemplify her mastery of colour and natural dye process as well as precise weaving technique. Ganalmirriwuy makes her colours from roots, leaves and barks harvested from the Crocodile Islands and her mother's homeland of Laŋarra (Howard Island) in the Northern Territory.
In the 1990's Margaret Rarru Garrawurra perfected the recipe for the many hues of black that she and her sister Ganalmirriwuy are renowned for. When asked for the recipe Rarru and her sisters reply 'maybe one day you will sit with us and you will learn'. It is accepted amongst Yolŋu weavers that the singular use of black is reserved for Rarru and those to whom she gives permission.