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The Mainie Trademark:  Luxurious . Authentic . Unique

Aboriginal art silk kaftan top luxurious authentic unique ethical first nations indigenous owned fashion label

If there is one design that perfectly encapsulates Mainie’s trademark, it is our Desert Journey Dreaming pure silk kaftan top.

As an Indigenous Australian owned and operated fashion business, Mainie is founded on a genuine commitment to support Aboriginal women artists to earn an independent income from their own work and preserve their traditional designs and stories for future generations.

Our beautiful Desert Journey Dreaming design is based on an original artwork, Mina Mina Jukurrpa, by highly esteemed Warlpiri artist, Mary Napangardi Gallagher.

Mainie purchased Mary’s original painting from the world acclaimed Warlukurlangu Artists, an Aboriginal owned and controlled arts centre located in the Yuendumu community on the ancestral homelands of the Warlpiri people.

Founded in 1985, Warlukurlangu has long been an important stronghold for the preservation of the traditional language and culture of the Warlpiri Aboriginal people.

Due to the isolation of their tribal lands in the vast Tanami Desert region of Central Australia, the Warlpiri were among some of the last Aboriginal Australians to make their first contact with white people.

To this day, the Warlpiri people continue to live on their homelands and maintain their language and traditions much as their ancestors did for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans in Australia.

The Warlukurlangu arts centre serves as a place where Warlpiri women artists can keep alive their unique culture and pass on their traditional Dreaming stories for future generations.

It is these ancient stories that are brought to life on Mainie’s timeless and meaningful wearable art pieces.

Every Mainie design is ethically acquired under licence in accordance with the Indigenous Art Code. Under the terms of our licensing agreements, the Aboriginal artists hold the copyright to their original artwork and receive royalty payments for the reproduction of their designs.

Mary Napangardi Gallagher’s original design depicts an important Warlpiri women’s story that dates back to the time of the Dreaming. The story was handed down to Mary through many generations of her Warlpiri ancestors over the millennia.

The Mina Mina Jukurrpa relates to a special place on the Warlpiri homelands where the women gather a vine called Ngalyipi. The Ngalyipi vine has long been used by the Warlpiri women for sacred ceremonies. The vine also has medicinal uses. 

Mary Napangardi Gallagher was born at Napperby, a homestead 120 kilometres from Papunya, a remote Aboriginal community in Central Australia.

When Mary was a young woman, she moved with her family to the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, located around 300 kilometres from Alice Springs.

Mary met and married her husband in Yuendumu and later moved to Nyirripi, an isolated Aboriginal outstation about 160 kilometres north-west of Yuendumu, to raise her family.

Mary has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists since 2006. The art centre staff regularly visit Nyirripi to collect finished work and drop off canvas, paint and brushes for the artists.

Mary’s distinctive artworks are exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world.

When Mary is not painting, she likes to go hunting with her family for goanna and bush tucker. 

aboriginal artist warlpiri woman mary napangardi gallagher mina mina jukurrpa traditional

Artist: Mary Napangardi Gallagher        Original Artwork:  Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Desert Journey Dreaming)

Mainie is proud to present Mary Napangardi Gallagher’s exquisite Mina Mina Jukurrpa artwork design on our Desert Journey Dreaming silk kaftan top.

Handcrafted from the finest silk and created to be a tangible and lasting celebration of Australia’s 60,000-year-old Indigenous cultural heritage, this exquisite wearable art piece exemplifies Mainie’s Luxurious . Authentic . Unique trademark.

Proudly Australian owned and operated, Mainie is a Supply Nation verified Indigenous owned business and an Indigenous Art Code approved dealer member.

More information about our Desert Journey Dreaming silk kaftan top is available at: https://www.mainie.com.au/collections/silk-tops/products/mfas01005

 

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