Maguj/Nanja (Pandanus/Ghost Nets) by Numbulwar Numburindi Arts
21 August to 5 September at Tactile Arts

Tactile Arts presents Maguj/Nanja, a fibre art exhibition by Numbulwar Numburindi Arts (NNA) - a 100% community-owned art centre from Numbulwar, on the Rose River in southeast Arnhem Land.

In Wubuy, the traditional language of the Numburindi people, maguj means pandanus and nanja means ghost nets. The exhibition traces the journey of Numburindi women from traditional practices to contemporary realities - women gathering and peeling pandanus to weave wulbung (baskets) and bulpu (dilly bags), while rangers pull ghost nets, abandoned fishing line, from the sea. It holds these dualities together: freshwater billabong against saltwater sea Country, natural fibre against man-made net, old knowledge against new materials.

The title itself is an assertion of language survival. Wubuy is classified as severely endangered by UNESCO, with only 283 speakers recorded in the 2021 census — elders are now teaching it to children at Numbulwar School. Maguj/Nanja represents a convergence of old and new, ensuring ancestral knowledge carries forward.

On display 21 August – 5 September, Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–2pm, at Tactile Arts, 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens. Opening event Friday 21 August from 5:30pm.