To make mandjabu, weavers firstly harvest milil(burney vine, Malaisia scandens) and put it in water overnight to make it soft. Then they start weaving it; they make rings for the inside to keep the fish trap’s shape. People also make string from the bark of burdaga (kurrajong) to attach the bardainy (hibiscus) rings and to tie the conical end of the fish trap. It’s hard work and it can take three or four weeks to make a fish trap. People also use fish-net fences called kunkarlewabe. They would put the kunkarlewabe across rivers and creeks. In the middle they would place the mandjabu. They also used small things like sticks, rocks, mud and grass to block the fish from going through. This way we would catch fish such as saltwater barramundi rajarra, ngaldadmurrng (freshwater barramundi), small black freshwater catfish (buliya), bonefish (an-guwirrpiya), and sand bass (dalakan) in the mandjabu.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Raylene (Rayleen) Bonson is a talented textile artist, carving meticulous designs onto Lino tiles to print onto a range of fabric surfaces. Raylene is well known for her designs depicting ancestral stories and ceremonial objects, in particular lorrkkon (hollow log for burial ceremony), kunmadj (dillybag) and mandjabu (conical fishtrap).
Raylene has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 2012 and now has a permanent role as a senior arts worker. She was mentored by her late mother, Nancy Gununwanga, a textile artist at Bábbarra Designs and a founding member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre. Raylene mentors and supports her daughter Rosanna Bonson.
Languages - Ndjébbana, Kuninjku
Community - Maningrida
Date Of Birth - 1974-03-07
