Burial pole; abstract and geometric designs in mineral pigments, including ochers, and charcoal; 2 upright posts below top, 3 cylinders below; carpet snake design said to be on top cylinder, footpath design on middle cylinder, creek design on bottom cylinder; sprayed with a solution of 10% Elmer’s Glue in water to consolidate paint; gravepost for mourning (pukamuni) ceremony; a gift to the dead; according to Hart and Pilling, the size of the ceremony depends on age, sex and importance of deceased; held some time after death; posts, made by nonmourners chosen by chief mourner, are erected on the grave; this post related to creation myth of Bima, the wife of Purukupali.
Donor:
Louis A. Allen and Mrs. Louis A. Allen
Collection place:
Melville Island, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
Culture or time period:
Tiwi people (N20)
Collector:
Bruce D. Lawes
Collection date:
1971
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.3 Objects relating to the Secular and Quasi-religious Rites, Pageants, and Drama