Hamish KARRKARRHBA

Mimih Spirit , 2007

Art : Aboriginal
Origine : Maningrida
Dimensions : 3 x 251 x 3 cm
Medium : Wood and natural pigments
Price : Nous contacter / contact us
N° : 4024
Arnhem Land carvers, particularly Maningrida carvers such as Simon Namunjdja, specialise in the reproduction of tall, slender spirits whom they call Mimih, ancestral, marine and cosmic spirits of the Dreamtime. The bodies are covered with crossbars and dots that evoke the Australian spaces. The heads, with their flat skulls, have a naive appearance that borders on the comical. The Mimih are terribly thin, with necks so thin that a strong breeze would be fatal. For this reason, they only appear on windless days and nights to hunt. The Mimih taught the first humans the knowledge of how to survive in the rocky environment of the Arnhem Land plateau: how to hunt and shoot game, how to use medicinal plants, how to dance, sing and paint.