Julie Djulibing Malibirr

Mindirr (dilly bags) are made from gunga (Pandanus spiralis), balgurr (kurrajong) and natural bush dyes. The body of the mindirr is made from gunga, and the handles from balgurr. Once the gunga fronds and balgurr bark have been collected, they are stripped and prepared, then boiled with the dyes.

Mindirr were used traditionally for every day utilitarian purposes, particularly collecting bush foods such as bältji (yam). Traditionally, the balgurr handles were worn across the forehead while the body of the mindirr sat at the back, between the shoulder blades making it easily accessible when collecting ŋatha (food).

Djulibing was born of a Ganalbingu father and Liyagalawumirri mother at Murrwangi – “no town, just a bush camp, and went to Milingimbi as a baby; then they took me to Darwin because of the war (WWII). Really just outside at Kulpinya where I went to school.”

After the war she went back to Milingimbi with her parents by boat, the Arriwatha. Here she attended school for a short time –“I can’t remember who taught me, it wasn’t Miss Lowe; then I went to Galiwin’ku and worked in the gardens and cuttng lawns working with a Fijian called Binaya’ and worked at weaving baskets and mats to Sheppy (Harold Shepherdson). Lamatha was a crew (sic) on a boat which brought us food like the barge. The captain was Willi and the boat was the Larrpan. I got married there to Lamatha at Galiwin’ku and had Matjarra and Dayn’kuli and Rrikili too. Many’tjurrpuy also and Rorrurruwuy and Marrawuma. These are all girls except for one boy. We came back to Milingimbi - Matjarra was at school; David McLay was there. I worked in the store, Lamatha in the outstation centre. I still did my weaving. Then we shifted to Langarra and then to here [Ramingining].”