Description
Also called mija, Jirrbal dwellings or gunyahs were close to water and either round or oval. They were in clearings at the forest edge. I have built one in my backyard and I use it for cultural education and to gather inspiration for my art. I have a campfire, stumps to sit on and artefacts around it. This include a coolamon with rainforest fruits in it. Gunyahs had thatching made of lawyer cane leaves, fan palm leaves, bark, blady grass and rushes. Several layers of thatching made it waterproof and the size of the gunyah depended on the size of the family. You can see in this painting the rainforest depicted in an abstract manner with a track leading to the gunyah.
