Description
This work shows Guku (Native Bee and Honey), the iconic Gupapuyŋu Ḏaygurrgurr clan design and its ceremonial manifestation as a ritual object used in the Gupapuyŋu ŋärra high law ceremony. The object and its diamond-shaped painted design refers to the ancestral journeys of the Guku Honeybee.
In part, the central element of the painting represents the dhuḏi dharpa’, or foundational knowledge held in Gupapuyŋu law (literally ‘the stump/root of the tree’). The intricate rärrk crosshatching shows the rich flowing honey inside the tree where these bees hive, which is said to be akin to the spiritual force that animates Gupapuyŋu land and people. This element of Guku is often considered the highest form of its material expression and as such, a pure expression of Gupapuyŋu knowledge and thought.
On either side are guyuwa, the sharp triangular pole-like shapes that represent the nose, or galanyin, of the bee hive. This protruding nose can be seen on the outside of the tree which hosts the hive and acts as a doorway for the bees.
At the top of the painting Tare objects associated with the Ŋarra (high law) ceremony. The diamond shapes filled with rarrk (cross hatching) represent Maulk – they are sent to other clans to tell people that a Gupapuyŋu ŋarraceremony will happen.
