purnu

As they travelled, the old people carried everything from bush potatoes to babies in elegant yet durable wooden containers. Large, often boat-shaped containers (wiitin or wulunganti) suspended over the shoulder with hairstring straps were used for carying water - a covering of grass or gum leaves kept the water cool and prevented it from splashing. Long flat purnu were used as cradles, while smaller hardwood ones made excellent scoops (yimpili) for digging up bush potatoes or sandfrogs. Today Warumungu people still make wooden purnu, but with plastic and metal containers readily avaliable most are made as gifts or for tourists. Purnu (also often called 'coolamons') are made from softwoods, such as beantree or stinkwood, or from naturally hollow sections of hardwood. They can be ornamented with carved grooves, red ochre or paintings.