Cotton Tea Towel - Janganpa Jukurrpa - Common Brush-Tail Possum Dreaming Design

Created as part of a cross-cultural project, this cotton tea towel is a quiet celebration of ethical trade, artistic reverence, and everyday beauty.

Australian owned and designed, printed in India—some designs are digitally reproduced, others screenprinted by hand using water-based inks gentle on both fabric and planet, and true to the spirit of the original artwork.

The featured artwork is licensed directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, whose creative practice is honoured in full—with royalties paid monthly, recognising the creative authorship and cultural significance of every design.

Janganpa Jukurrpa - Common Brush-Tail Possum Dreaming Design - The design is owned by Stephen Jupurrula Nelson 

Janganpa Jukurrpa (common brush-tail possum [Trichosurus vulpecula] Dreaming) travels all over Warlpiri country. ‘Janganpa’ are nocturnal animals that often nest in the hollows of white gum trees (‘wapunungka’). This story comes from a big hill called Mawurrji, west of Yuendumu and north of Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs). A group of ‘janganpa’ ancestors resided there. Every night they would go out in search of food. Their hunting trips took them to Wirlki and Wanapirdi, where they found ‘pamapardu’ (flying ants). They journeyed on to Ngarlkirdipini looking for water. A Nampijinpa women was living at Mawurrji with her two daughters. She gave her daughters in marriage to a Jupurrurla ‘janganpa’ but later decided to run away with them. The Jupurrurla angrily pursued the woman. He tracked them to Mawurrji where he killed them with a stone axe. Their bodies are now rocks at this place. Warlpiri people perform a young men’s initiation ceremony, which involves the Janganpa Jukurrpa. The Janganpa Jukurrpa belongs to Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men and Nakamarra/Napurrurla women. In Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent this Jukurrpa. ‘Janganpa’ tracks are often represented as ‘E’ shaped figures and concentric circles are used to depict the trees in which the ‘janganpa’ live, and also the sites at Mawurrji.

approx. 42.5cm x 62.5cm.