Woven spinifex and raffia porridge bowl and spoon by Yilpi Adamson and Pantjiti Lionel, 2006

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Type: Artworks
Date: 2006
Place: Ernabella, South Australia, Australia
Materials: Plant fibre, Raffia
Collection: Ernabella Arts Inc. collection no. 8
Accession number: 2007.0078.0003

Description

A woven spinifex and raffia porridge bowl and spoon. The bowl has a concentric circular design radiating from the base in alternating red and straw coloured bands, and the spoon is straw coloured and dark green.

About the collection

This collection comprises woven art works from Ernabella, in northern South Australia: a basket of raffia and spinifex with emu feathers by Atipalku Intjalka; a raffia and spinifex mug and handbag by Tjunkaya Tapaya; a raffia and spinifex porridge bowl by Yilpi Adamson with a spoon by Pantjiti Lionel; and a raffia and spinifex pencil case with a recycled metal zip, also by Lionel. They were all made in 2006 at the Ernabella Arts centre. The collection demonstrates the artists' exploration of new forms for their works and the combination of materials, with locally available spinifex with commercial dyed raffia. Ernabella is believed to be the oldest indigenous community arts centre in Australia, having been established in 1948. The artists there have constantly explored different media and forms of art, starting with the wool produced by the Ernabella sheep station from the 1930s. From the 1970s it became known for batik textiles and increasingly for prints, paintings and ceramics. Weaving is proving an important addition to these practices.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:44:40 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-09-16. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.