Spear, 2013, Pedro Wonaeamirri
(spear on right)
Natural ochres on spear, 170cm x 6cm
Provenance: Tiwi Art at Darwin Art Fair, Darwin.
Pedro Wonaeamirri was raised on Melville Island by his grandmother, who taught him the traditional practices of their heritage. Wonaeamirri is one of the few Tiwi people of his generation who speaks old or classic Tiwi, and he continues the Tiwi culture of singing and dancing. He is considered an ambassador for the Tiwi people. His art is a visual representation of the essence of the dance and song. Wonaeamirri has mastered the traditional techniques of painting in natural ochres collected from his country, rendered with kayimwagakimi (the traditional Tiwi iron-wood comb), and refined the process into his own unique style. Strong fields of colour are illuminated with geometric ‘dot’ patterns painted on canvas, paper, barks and ironwood sculptures (1).
Highly stylised ceremonial spears were used in Pukamani, the Tiwi mortuary ceremonies. The Tiwi assign gender groupings to these spears: arawinikiri (female spears) have barbs on both sides, and tunkalinta tunkaringa (male spears) are barbed on one side only.