Wangarra Spirit, 2011, Serena Bonson
Wood carving, 121cm
Provenance: Tunbridge Gallery, Perth.
Serena Bonson is known for her black and white carvings on stringybark to depict Wangarra spirits. She was born in Miwirnbi, Serena Bonson lives and works in Manigrida community in the Northern Territory. Her heritage is of Djowinge moiety, the Djinang language group and she is part of the Murrungun clan (1).
Wangarra, a Burarra word from the central north Arnhem Land, describes spiritual beings (similar to ghosts). It is a generic term, which can include both spirit beings which continually inhabit certain sites or objects, but it can also refer to the spirit of someone who has recently died. While the word is the same, these two classes are not the same beings. The Wangarra play a key role in the stories of Bonson’s community relating to death, birth and the transition of the spirit into the afterlife, and in rebirth (2).