Exhibitions

Biography

Born in 1940 in South East Tasmania, Aunty Colleen Mundy (minungkana) is a proud Tasmanian Aboriginal woman and basket weaver, and a great-great granddaughter of Fanny Cochrane Smith. Fanny was born on Flinders Island where her parents were incarcerated at Wybalenna. Fanny and her family were among the 47 Aboriginal people sent to Oyster Cove in 1847.

Colleen’s father, Bert Mundy, was born at Nicholls Rivulet in 1919, not far from Oyster Cove.

Colleen uses leaves of the White Flag Iris, the preferred weaving plant of Tasmanian Aboriginal women in the past. “The leaves are very strong and long lasting in woven baskets,” she says.

Colleen’s grandmother Pearl Mundy (née Smith) still had a basket woven by her grandmother Fanny Cochrane Smith.

During her adult years, Colleen has lived in some remote places, living off the land and collecting plants and lichens for bush dyeing and fibre crafts.

Colleen is a campaigner for Aboriginal Land Rights and an Aboriginal Cultural Educator. “Some of my inspiration comes from my son, Clinton, who shares my love of the land and the sea and what they give to us,” she says.

Colleen’s baskets are held in private collections, public spaces and museums, including the Natural History Museum, Le Havre, France.

“I was taught to weave by my dear friend, a much respected and gifted weaver, Aunty Lennah Newson, who has now passed away,” Aunty Colleen says.

Artist statement

Unfinished, 2022 (Installation), produced by Colleen Mundy with images provided by Jillian Mundy

tirrina (basket) (unfinished), 2011

I have always been intrigued by the little unfinished basket held in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s Tasmanian Aboriginal basket collection, and wondered who made it and why it was never finished.

I have an unfinished basket which is woven in the same traditional twined style.

Twelve years ago, when I was 70 years old I was camping out at kutalayna (Jordan River) at Brighton protesting to protect a very culturally significant site from being destroyed by the proposed construction of a bypass/bridge.

I camped there many days and nights with my tent not far from the railway line.

During quiet times in the camp, I liked to go down and sit by the river. It was peaceful there with ducks swimming by.

One day I gathered some reeds and started weaving. The reeds were quite hollow and when split made good weaving material.

After a long protest at the camp the Riot Police and earth moving machinery moved in and many of us were arrested and charged with trespass. The construction of the Bypass/Bridge went ahead and the site was destroyed forever.

I have never been back to kutalayna and my little basket is still unfinished.

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