Gija goowoolem doo minybernem – Gija trees and grasses is both a work of art and an extraordinary ethnobotanical achievement. At its heart are 72 stunning paintings by award-winning artist Birrmarriya Shirley Purdie which feature the significant flora found in Gija Country in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The paintings are accompanied by Birrmarriya’s descriptions of each plant’s traditional properties and uses – for food, medicine and object making – as well as their place in Gija culture and history.

The result is a rich botanical encyclopaedia informed by Ngarranggarni – ‘the Dreamtime’ or ‘creation time’ – which both preserves and shares traditional knowledge, now and into the future. Birrmarriya and co-author, linguist, artist and gardener Frances Kofod, share a love for Gija Country and its flora. They collaborated over many years to create this richly layered book which includes stories in both Gija and English, new maps of Gija Country and useful appendices containing plant descriptions, species names and photographs. Birrmarriya Shirley Purdie won the Blake Prize in 2007. The paintings in this book are part of the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

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