Tiwi Bird

natural earth pigments on ironwood

23 x 6 cm

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Provenance: Ngaruwanajirri, Bathurst Island, NT
Artwork story: The practice of Tiwi figure and animal carving stems from Pukumani funeral carving: spectacular carved and painted poles that are placed around the grave during ceremonies for the dead. This figurative element is in keeping with the longstanding innovative and evolving nature of the Tiwi artistic tradition, even though it developed at the time of European arrival and influence. Pukumani denotes a taboo and is a period of time in which certain tasks are forbidden, including the speaking of the deceased’s name. This accounts somewhat for the plethora of names that Tiwi often have or use and which have often confused outsiders. The dramatic rituals of Pukumani are mythic in origin. The enacting of the story of how death came into the world is performed over days. It is a story of human desire and misdemeanour that brought to a close an Eden-like creation period, similar to the Dreamtime.

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b. 1962

natural earth pigments on ironwood

23 x 6 cm

Enquire for price

Provenance: Ngaruwanajirri, Bathurst Island, NT
Artwork story: The practice of Tiwi figure and animal carving stems from Pukumani funeral carving: spectacular carved and painted poles that are placed around the grave during ceremonies for the dead. This figurative element is in keeping with the longstanding innovative and evolving nature of the Tiwi artistic tradition, even though it developed at the time of European arrival and influence. Pukumani denotes a taboo and is a period of time in which certain tasks are forbidden, including the speaking of the deceased’s name. This accounts somewhat for the plethora of names that Tiwi often have or use and which have often confused outsiders. The dramatic rituals of Pukumani are mythic in origin. The enacting of the story of how death came into the world is performed over days. It is a story of human desire and misdemeanour that brought to a close an Eden-like creation period, similar to the Dreamtime.