Originally from the island of Melville, Patrick Puruntatameri is inspired by the ritual motifs that the Tiwi Aborigines use for body paintings made using natural pigments (charcoal, chalk and especially ocher) during Pukamani funeral ceremonies. This work is associated with Milikapiti, an important Tiwi sacred site and the division of the work into small squares evokes plots of territory. Milikapiti is also associated with the stars – and in particular with the moon represented in its first and last quarters. Moreover, the canvas can be read as a real map of the sky with its constellations – the lines of stars dividing the space of the work into cosmographic regions. Earth and sky are closely associated here.