Alick TIPOTI
Dugong charms 2 , 2018
Art : Aboriginal
Origine : Badu Island
Dimensions : 53,5 x 39,5 cm
Medium : Etching
Price : Nous contacter / contact us
N° : 3856
This print is of magic charms carved from rocks. They were hung below the Nath (dugong hunting platforms) built just off the beaches on dugong feeding grounds. Sometimes these were kept inside the bow of the canoe when on hunting voyages.
These types of rock carvings are associated with island magic – referred to as Puy. A single charm was used for single dugongs.
Multiple charms tied together were used to attract a herd of dugongs. When I was a boy, me and my uncles would collect seaweed from the inside of the mouth of a dugong we just caught, we would wrap it in cloth and store it under the bow of the dinghy when we headed out hunting.
Today I am still a strong believer of this practice.