MARIE CELINE PORKILANI - PARU WOMAN, MOPADITI

 MARIE CELINE PORKILANI
PARU WOMAN, MOPADITI,  1987
235x13cm
Ochre on ironwood
 
PROVENANCE
Tiwi Pima Art, Bathurst Island, NTCollectorā€™s Gallery, SydneyPrivate Collection NSW 
 
STORY
Mopaditi are spirits of the dead. Pukamani poles such as this represent individual people who have passed away and act as a mourning process that can continue after the deceased person has been buried.Marie Celine was one of a group of elderly ladies who lived at Paru on Melville Island in the late 1980s. Their exhibition, Carved Wooden Sculptures by Tiwi Women from Paru, was held at Collectors Gallery, Sydney, in 1988. The women included KittyĀ Kantilla, Topsy Kerinauia, and Mary Puraminni. The carvings were notable for energetic and provocative figures. Many were tiered such as this fine example.