Description
This work depicts two primary Gupapuyŋu clan totems and relates to the significant Gupapuyŋu Djaḻumbu mortuary ceremony.
In this manburi, manburi birrinymal ga guku miny’tji (catfish, their bones and honey design), the fine white lines in represent manburi birrinymal, catfish bones, and the small dots along the yellow bands show Yirritja guku (native honey of the Yirritja moeity). In this particular rendition, two catfish are shown as the central motif.
Manburi birrinymal is part of the 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 bones are painted with Gupapuyŋu designs using gamunuŋgu’ (ochre) and guku (native honey). The bones 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 Djaḻumbu stands on the ceremony ground and is also painted with Gupapuyŋu manburi, lumbalumba ga guku miny’tji (catfish, emu and honey designs).
The manburi birrinymal miny’tji is never painted on the body. It is only painted on Djaḻumbu (hollow log coffin) and burala, a ceremonial object also used in this ceremony that mimics the sound of a diving bird when swung overhead around the body.
