Mandem retailer (Waterlilies) by Eva Nganjmirra on Cotton

2 m of hand screen-printed 100% Cotton (135cm wide)
This is a high quality cotton linen blend that is around 120 gsm. It is perfect for dressmaking or quilting.

The base cloth colour is purple and the design has been printed with dark purple and light purple colour on top.

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All our fabrics are designed and hand-printed by our members in our workshop in Gunbalanya in West Arnhem Land, NT.

The design:
Artist Eva Nganjmirra is one of the Injalak Arts' most outstanding artists and fabric screenprint designers, creating three varied designs that are now best sellers.

Mandem (Waterlily)
Women and girls in Gunbalanya used to go down to the billabong, wade into the water and gather mandem (water lily roots), manbardmo retailer (water lilystems and flowers) and barrdjungka (water lily seeds). Then they would go up the hill and gather firewood. They would cook the roots and seeds in the ashes or coals of the fire, share them around and eat them. We eat the seeds raw or cooked, but the stems are eaten raw. Water Lilies (Nymphaea sp.) are found in bodies of water all through West Arnhem Land. The seed heads form when the flowers fall under the water, and are also food for magpie geese and whistling ducks. The seeds are ripe in Yekke, the cool season around May-June.