Fibre Art Materials

Tjanpi (grass)

Artists collect various types of tjanpi (grass) on the NPY Lands throughout the Central and Western deserts. Types of Tjanpi used for sculptures and baskets include Minarri/Grey-beard (Amphipogon sericeus) and Woollybutt (Eragrostis eriopoda).

These grasses are sometimes dyed using other plants including:

Quandong bark  (Santalum acuminatum, Eucarya acuminate)

GrassTree  (Xanthorrhea thorntonii)

Mistletoe  (Amyema spp. and Lysiana spp.)

Spinifex  (Triodia basedowii and Triodia spp.)

 

Raffia 

Raffia is a fibre product of raffia palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, and particularly, Madagascar. Tjanpi purchases hanks of natural and dyed raffia for artists to use. 

 

Wipiya 

Tjanpi artists use emu feathers that are purchased from an emu farm in Queensland. The emu feathers are malted feathers that are cleaned and treated before they are sent to us.