Kunwinjku counting book receives huge support

Senior artist Gabriel Maralngurra with the Kunwinjku Counting Book which raised more than its target amount of $25,000 in a recent Pozible fundraising campaign.

With the support of people from around Australia and even overseas, Injalak Arts have achieved their goal to print the bi-lingual Kunwinjku Counting Book by Gabriel Maralngurra.
The fundraising campaign by Injalak Arts which concluded recently, aimed to raise $25,000 to fund the printing of the Kunwinjku Counting Book.
Unbelievably, the Pozible Campaign received more than the funding goal, raising an incredible $32,687 with contributors from all over Australia and around the world donating and sharing the project among their social media networks.
The book also generated worldwide interest with Injalak Arts now in discussion with American publishers who would like to buy the international publishing rights for the book.
Many people who had previously met Gabriel lent a hand to the campaign and many educators supported the project, including Veronica Spry, who said, ‘This is a fantastic resource especially if you are an early childhood teacher or parent of children! Well done Gabriel thank you for creating this!”
Senior artist and Co-Manager and Co-Founder of Injalak, Gabriel put the book together as a learning tool for Kunwinjku children to learn to read and count through paintings of animals with numbers in both Kunwinjku and English.
The publication also features information about ecosystems of West Arnhem and shows tangible links between the Kunwinjku community and the environment.
It has been very exciting to see the support and encouragement from the community, and as it is a very exciting time for Injalak Arts which has seen the support and encouragement from the community.
Gabriel has also shared his success with other Kunwinjku artists who work at Injalak Arts and have become interested in making and publishing their own books.
Gabriel is very proud of his first publication and Injalak Arts is excited to continue promoting and distributing the book to people interested in learning about and supporting Indigenous culture and people.
Copies of the Kunwinjku Counting Book are available from Injalak Arts and online at Etsy.