courses
MÄPURU WEAVING & LIVING ON COUNTRY
Take the journey to the remote community of Mäpuru in East Arnhem Land. Learn about Yolngu culture from Indigenous leaders passing on their traditional skills and knowledge in basket weaving and bush survival.
join our 2025 trips
Learn from the people of Mäpuru who are passing on their traditional skills and knowledge to future generations – as it has always been.
Each year we run 2 trips. One solely for women-identifying people, and the other a mixed trip. The activities undertaken in Mapuru are determined by gender: Weaving Workshops for women and Living on Country Workshops for men.
12 day mixed trip (during school term) – 11-22 June, 2025
12 day women-only trip (during school holidays) – 2-13 July, 2025
What will you find on our Trip to east Arnhem Land?
The activities undertaken in Mapuru are generally determined by gender: Weaving Workshops for women and Living on Country Workshops for men. Both workshops include a variety of activities and opportunities.
Connect with country
Foster a deep connection with the incredible East Arnhem Land landscape where we camp.
Cultural Exchange
Gain a rare glimpse into an Indigenous worldview. Learn about Yolngu culture and experience a different way of life.
Forage for materials
Gather barks, pandanus and kala(natural dyes) from the local landscape and prepare them for weaving, spinning and dyeing.
Bushcraft (Men)
Gather materials for tools and craft spears for hunting.
Weaving Workshops
Weave alongside the women of Mapuru under a traditional bark shelter.
Eat from the land
Collect bush honey, mangrove worms and go fishing in local waterholes.
Create Connections
Travel in a small group of likeminded people with plenty of time around the fire.
Reading country
Learn to see the landscape in a new light, reading wind patterns and assessing food sources.
You’ll be mentored by
The Mapuru community including the Arnhem Weavers: Our Yolngu friends and adopted family, with whom we have partnered for the past 13 years.
The community educates us on weaving pandanus baskets, bush survival and how we can adopt a different perspective towards the world in which we live. These trips are intended to support our friends in achieving a meaningful livelihood on their land, while they, in turn, teach us the significance of living in harmony with the land.
Getting to Mapuru
The group meets in Darwin before clambering into the hired 4WDs and commencing our two-day drive into some of the remotest parts of Arnhem Land.
The drive is spectacular – a long and dusty red road reaching to the East with river crossings, and stunning scenery. We spend the first night on the road camped at the top of an escarpment with views for miles below. We cook dinner on the campfire under the crystal clear night sky – setting the tone for the days ahead.
Late on the following day we will arrive in Mäpuru and be warmly greeted by the community. That night we set up our camp (cooking, tents, camp fire). Our workshops start the following day.
Download the Mapuru Trip Information Booklet which includes an itinerary, logistics, cultural preparations and further info about the trip.
Download the info booklet
Learn about the trip in more details including an itinerary, logistics, cultural preparations and further info about the trip.
this trip is for you if
- You are keen to learn more about the indigenous worldview and Yolngu culture.
- You are ready to leave your comfort zone and be challenged to live in a different way.
- You are ready to cultivate a closer relationship to country.
- You like to learn while you travel. You'll come away with weaving and living on country skills.
course pricing options
12 day women-identifying trip
Payment plans available. Limited number of bursary-supported places available.-
$1600 for expert tuition, paid directly to Mäpuru elders
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Food, equipment and car transfers between Darwin and Mäpuru
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Group facilitation & support
-
Does not include flights or personal insurance
12 day mixed trip
Payment plans available. Limited number of bursary-supported places available.-
$1600 for expert tuition, paid directly to Mäpuru elders
-
Food, equipment and car transfers between Darwin and Mäpuru
-
Group facilitation & support
-
Does not include flights or personal insurance
- The $400 deposit is not refundable after the 31st of January, 2025.
100% of payment two is refundable if the participant cancels prior to the 15th of March, 2025. - 50% of payment two is refundable if the participant cancels 6 weeks prior to the trip’s departure, after which no refund is possible.
- CERES has the right to demand payment of outstanding fees, plus legal recovery costs if any.
- If CERES cancels the trip, all payments will be reimbursed.
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Photography by Max Roux.