The textile length was designed and made by Nyukana Baker (born 1943) at Ernabella Arts workshop using napthol azoic dyes. The lines are made using a canting, and sometimes a double canting. Jenni Dudley describes her working method: 'She starts on one side, then goes to the end, then the other end, and then the other side. She uses no pencil marks to guide her. She has a remarkable ability to handle space'. (discussion, October 1995)

Nyukana was born at Ernabella; she is in the Pitjantjatjara language group; her mother's family from Wingellina and her father's family from Kanypi. Ernabella was a mission settlement (refer Winifred Hilliard's book, The People In Between), and from the 1940s crafts were taught to provide employment for people who had previously been nomadic. Weaving was one of the first crafts taught and Nyukana started designing, painting and weaving in 1963. She started to work in batik in 1971 when Leo Brereton taught batik there. She has studied in Yogyakarta and has travelled to eg. Japan. She is currently chairperson of Ernabella Arts Inc. She is now the senior artist at Ernabella. The abstract designs of the Pitjantjatjara people rarely have explicit meanings although it is thought they do relate to body and ground painting. This batik is unusual in its all-over design. Nyukana's work is somethimes characterised by her use of a double-canting (the lines in the background).

The textile length was selected from a number of batiks and screenprinted textiles offered during a visit to the Powerhouse Museum in October 1995.

Textile length, batik, silk taffeta / napthol dyes, designed and made by Nyukana (Daisy) Baker, Ernabella, South Australia, 1995

Batik on white silk taffeta with a brown, tan and gold canting pattern of abstract fronded-leaf-like forms, each with a tear-shaped form within. Each form is surrounded by a defined dotted area while the background is filled with lines. The batik is signed 'Nyukana' with a workshop no: EB3290NB. The ends of the textile are unfinished.

Designed: Baker, Nyukana; Ernabella, South Australia

Made: Baker, Nyukana; Ernabella, South Australia; 1995

Signed 'Nyukana'.

95/318/1

1145 mm