The Tingarri song and dance cycles are the most secret and sacred of the deeply religious rituals of the Western Desert Tribes of Central Australia. In the Dreamtime a group of old men moved continuously from waterhole to waterhole throughout the western desert. They were accompanied by novices and initiated men who were still undergoing ceremonies of instruction at various sites designated by the Tingarri men.

These rituals consisted of hundreds of song and dance cycles telling of the travels and adventures of the Tingarri,their creation of sacred sites and fertility rites,the significance of body designs and decorations made of woven human hair.