Christobell Protty was born in 1962 in Areyonga community (formerly a mission outpost), Northern Territory. Christobell then moved back to her family's Country at Kaltukatjara (Docker River) when she was young. This coincided with the opening of the community in 1968, facilitating Anangu’s (Pitjantjatjara people) return to traditional homelands. Christobell has remained in Kaltukatjara and raised her family there.

Christobell was taught to weave by her mother Martha Protty. Martha is a well-known and exhibited weaver, and has been the ‘cover girl’ of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers book. In addition to weaving, Christobell enjoys painting and making seed jewellery.

Tjanpi Desert Weavers is a social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council, working with women in the remote Central and Western desert regions who earn an income from contemporary fibre art. Tjanpi (meaning grass in Pitjantjatjara language) represents over 400 Anangu/Yarnangu women artists from 26 remote communities on the NPY lands.

Tjanpi artists use native grasses to make spectacular contemporary fibre art, weaving beautiful baskets and sculptures and displaying endless creativity and inventiveness. Originally developing from the traditional practice of making manguri rings, working with fibre in this way has become a fundamental part of Central and Western desert culture.

• Material: Raffia
• Diameter: 27cm
• Height: 6cm