Title
Jurrimakamaka
circa 1957
Artist
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Details
- Other Title
- Stick
- Place where the work was made
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Melville Island
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Northern Territory
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Australia
- Date
- circa 1957
- Media category
- Sculpture
- Materials used
- kartukuni (ironwood) with natural pigments
- Dimensions
- 69.3 x 9.6 cm
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of Dr Stuart Scougall 1957
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 9448
- Artist information
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Portaminni Stephen
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
The jurrimakamaka, along with the tokamilli, are not strictly gendered (although this may not have always been the case). Man or woman would use either when dancing Amparruwu (the Widow Dance) during Pukumani ceremony. They are held at head height whilst dancing, but now, people often use their hands for this movement.
The Widow Dance forms part of the songline during ceremony where the singer will call forward, or even curate, a sequence of different dances specific to the deceased relative. The Widow Dance would take place in this sequence.
“We call it Amparruwu (widow dance) to recognise the deceased person and their clan – how they connect to their brother-in-law or sister-in-law. From parlingarri (creation time/old days) and today.” – Pedro Wonaeamirri, May 2023
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Places
Where the work was made
Melville Island
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1957, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 18 Feb 1958–16 Mar 1958
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Bibliography
Referenced in 1 publication
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Tony Tuckson, Aboriginal and Melanesian art, Sydney, 1973, 6. cat.no. A12
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