Help Weave Natalie to Mapuru, NT - 3,500 kms
Donation protected
Meet Natalie, our Mordi Weaver:
Natalie has been weaving in our Mordi Weavers community since 2024 and this year she's been invited to sit on country and learn about weaving and culture with women in the Mapuru community of East Arnhem Land, NT. Yolŋu people have maintained strong cultural practices for tens of thousands years in this part of our country, so it's a great honour and opportunity for her to be involved - but it's long way from Mordi to Mapuru! Natalie will travel 3,500kms each way, so Mordi Weavers would like to ask for your help to get her there!
What will Natalie do:
Natalie will spend two weeks with the Mapuru community including travelling overland by 4WD from Darwin, setting up camp, eating bush food on country, learning new language and culture. She will weave daily with Mapuru women and create baskets, bags and mats with pandanus grass.
What will Natalie learn and why is it important:
The practice of gathering to weave is tied to strong cultural and spiritual history and learning the practice of weaving from the Mapuru community on country, gives the opportunity to deepen the connection to weaving and knowledge of different weaving practices.
What will Natalie bring back to our community:
Natalie will return with a deeper understanding of Yolŋu culture, a connection with the Mapuru community, weaving skills and cultural insight that she can integrate into her weaving practice. Natalie will bring her new weavings back to display in our community and will share stories of her learning journey and experiences at a local event.
What does Natalie need:
$3,500 for:
♡ A donation for the Mapuru community
♡ A one-way return airfare*
♡ 4x nights in Darwin en-route to Mapuru
*alternately, a donation of frequent flyer points! Contact us about this option.
How will your donation help?
Your donation will assist the Mapuru community as they host Natalie on East Arnhem Land, help her prepare in Darwin for an intensive 48hr overland 4WD journey... and bring her home!
To acknowledge your contribution, Natalie will also weave a cotton rug to symbolically represent your donation and her journey as a Mordi Weaver to Mapuru! Natalie will add your name to a cotton strip in the weaving and offer the rug as a gift from our community to the Mapuru people on arrival in East Arnhem Land. Any personal messages shared with your donation will also be added in a card to accompany the woven gift rug.
Every donation will represent a portion of Natalie’s 3,500km journey as a coloured strip of cotton in the weaving, so...
$500 = 500km
$100 = 100km
$60 = 60km
$25 = 25km
$20 = 20km
$5 = 5km
Every donation is greatly appreciated and every dollar will find Natalie 1 km closer to Mapuru! Thank you.
Also, please stop in, grab a coffee and visit Natalie as she weaves the donations rug every Wednesday ahead of her journey at:
The Mordi Canteen
226 Beach Road, Mordialloc, VIC
Wednesdays, 10-11am
7 May - 25 June 2025
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Find out the Mordi Weavers project:
Weaving Mordi Together
A project proudly supported by @mordihouse3195
Organizer
Mordi Weavers
Organizer
Braeside, VIC