Numbulwar - Exhibition Booklet

Yir (Dilly Bags) 

Numbulwar's Numburindi artists shape ghost nets 

into intricate Yir (dilly bags) 

6 June to 20 July 2024 

Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre

Abandoned fishing lines, 

known as ghost nets, that 

wash up on Numbulwar’s 

shores are re-created into 

bold, bright & fibre art. 

Ghost nets account for 

about 40% of all ocean 

plastic. Numbulwar 

weavers divert this plastic 

away from the oceans and 

vulnerable sea life.

About 

Numbulwar and their 

exhibition Yir (Dilly Bag) 

Yulki Nunggumajbarr remembers the days 

before the mission was established at 

Numbulwar in 1952. People used to go 

hunting for dugong, turtle, fish, crab, lily root 

and so on, and everything was collected up in 

a string bag laboriously hand made from bark. 

The bark was pounded into fibres, twisted into 

long strands, dyed with local flora, and 

expertly manipulated into sturdy, functional 

and exceptionally beautiful bags. The yir also 

have spiritual significance to Nunggayinbala 

people, as be totemic objects associated with 

particular sites in the landscape and 

containers of knowledge. 

The yir being produced at Numbulwar today 

from abandoned fishing nets echoe those 

string bags from the old days. The gentle 

repetition of loops and knots draws an 

immediate comparison to traditional iterations. 

The yir are bound together using equally 

compelling found materials - brightly coloured 

bits of wool, thin copper wire, nylon, and 

sometimes the laborious, ancestral 

handmade bark string - an amalgam that hints 

at contemporary life in this remote part of 

South East Arnhem Land. Although natural 

dye is replaced with brightly coloured acrylic 

paint, culturally significant colours and 

designs remain 

The impact of ghost nets is felt along the 

entire coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria, 

from Nhulunbuy to Weipa. Ranger groups 

and shipping vessels frequently haul in 

‘monster’ nets, sometimes up to six 

kilometres long. Oceanic currents continue to 

bring nets thousands of kilometres into the 

Gulf, where they harm reefs and sea life such 

as dugongs and turtles. Retrieving the ghost 

nets and other found materials from land and 

sea is hard work, one of many acts of caring 

for Country by Nunggayinbala people.

Numburindi artists were celebrated for their 

work using ghost nets at Melbourne Design 

Week 2023. In 2021, the yir made their 

runway debut at Country to Couture, where 

some of the traditional ways of carrying yir 

were demonstrated, with the string across the 

forehead and the bag draped down the back, 

or the string around the neck and the bag 

down the chest to keep the hands free while 

foraging for food. 

Numbulwar’s yir fit as naturally in traditional 

applications as they do in contemporary, 

urban environments. Demonstrating the 

unbroken resourcefulness and expert 

manipulation of locally available materials by 

Numburindi people, they also speak to stories 

from the here and now. Some of the works in 

this exhibition respond to the Black Summer 

bushfires, a tragedy that was felt even in the 

most remote corners of Australia. The artists 

employ interesting textures, stitching, shapes, 

mixed media and figurative details to narrate 

and depict life at Numbulwar, including much 

of the traditional way of life that continues into 

the present day, such as hunting and 

ceremonial rituals. Playful proportions, an 

openness to new materials and techniques, 

and confident execution are the signature 

trademarks of Numburindi artists.

— Virginia Wilfred — Megan Wilfred 

— Lillian Joshua 

— Rose Wilfred — Jocelyn Wilfred — Joy Wilfred 

Bundoola 

— Marcia Wilfred — Carisham Wilfred 

The artists of 

Numbulwar Numburindi 

Arts tell the story of 

their art centre.

Gallery Pieces – Numbulwar Numburindi Arts 

Marcia Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #425-20 

Carisham Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #366-19 

Lillian Joshua / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #278-19 

Rose Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #291-19 






Jocelyn Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #24-21 

Jocelyn Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #71-23 

Joy Wilfred Bundoola / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #526-19 





Joy Wilfred Bundoola / #56-23 

Joy Wilfred Bundoola / #465-23 

Virginia Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #590-19 

Virginia Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #361-22 

Megan Wilfred / Yir (Dilly Bag) / #392-19 


Megan Wilfred / #337-22 


$77 

$65 

$95 

$167 

$137 

$116 

$190 

$245 

$618 

$485 

$485 

$125 

$141 

$145 

$465 

$435 

$165 

$235 

$89 

$215 

$77 

$695 

$165 

$137

We gratefully acknowledge 

our principle sponsors

Numbulwar - Exhibition Booklet

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