SUSAN WANJI WANJI - KULAMA DESIGN
SUSAN WANJI WANJI
KULAMA DESIGN, 2021
120 x 80 cm
Natural Earth Pigments on Canvas
REGION
Tiwi Islands, NT
PROVENANCE
Munupi Arts & Crafts, NT
Cooee Art Leven, NSW
STORY
The Kulama design depicts this important ceremony of the Tiwi people; the dancers and singers create a circle and prepare the poisonous yam for eating, as indicated by the circles in the painting. The Kulama ceremony was given to the Tiwi people by the Nyingawi, who are little spirit people (as depicted in Tiwi mythology). It is a celebration of life and food, occurring at the end of the wet season. The Tiwi know when to perform Kulama when the last full moon of the wet season has a yellow halo surrounding it, which tells them that Japarra (the moon man) is ready for it to begin.
EXHIBITED
Tiwi Creation, May 2022, Cooee Art | Redfern
ARTIST PROFILE
