Joe Dhamanydji
SCULPTURE (SCULPTURE)
$3,100.00
Dhamanydji has painted this timber sculpture with manburi, manburi birrinymal ga guku (catfish, their bones and honey). You can see the manburi clearly depicted on one side of the sculture with dots showing the guku (native honey bee). The white lines in this miny’tji represent manburi birrinymal, with the yellow lines of dotting showing Yirritja guku (native honey), which is a primary Gupapuyŋu totem.
Manburri birrinymal are part of Gupapuyŋu riŋgitj (songline). When a Gupapuyŋu person dies their leaders gather manburi birrinymal (catfish bones), lumbalumba birrinymal (emu bones) and Yolŋu birrinymal (human bones). The birrinymal are painted with Gupapuyŋu designs using gamunuŋgu (ochre) and guku (native honey). The birrinymal are then crushed and put inside a maḏayin bathi (sacred dilly bag). The maḏayin bathi is then worn by senior men while they dance buŋgul (ceremony). Throughout the buŋgul the men remove birrinymal from the bathi and place them inside the Djaḻumbu (hollow log coffin).
The manburi birrinymal miny’tji is never painted on the body. It is only painted on Djaḻumbu (hollow log coffin) and Burala (ceremonial bullroarer).
69×37.5cm
In stock
