Fish trap at Wandawuy

In recent years a strong group of female artists have emerged within the Yirrkala community. These women have been instructed in painting by their fathers and grandfathers and taught designs that have previously been the domain of men. Their works showcase the ongoing cultural inheritance and innovation in Yirrkala. Noŋgirrŋa Marawili is central to this group and spent many years assisting her husband with the cross-hatching on his works before working independantly on her own works.

Her larrakitj 'Fishtrap at Wandawuy' 2013 depict the gridded fishtrap design associated with the freshwaters of the Djapu clan at Wandawuy. This outstation is surrounded by permanent freshwater and is associated with both Mäna, the ancestral shark and Bol’ŋu the thunderman. Rains inspired by the actions of Bol’ŋu feed the rivers and fill the billabongs, resulting in a rich sea life that is a home for mäna. The grid refers to the landscape of the site, a network of billabongs surrounded by ridges and high banks and also relates to the grid of a woven fish trap set here by ancestral hunters.