Piki

$2,200.00

SKU: DN153 Categories: , , ,

Description

In past times, men would carry out a special ritual to contact ancestral spirits. Before retiring to bed a man would rub his head and the kuik (skulls) of deceased ancestors with sweet-smelling jarr and matuau leaves. This rite would induce piki (a dream) in which he might seek protection, or ask for guidance on important issues such as dispute settlement, hunting strategies or battle plans. In this image, the dreamer is sleeping on a tupmul (stingray), which indicates that he belongs to the tupmul augadal (stingray clan). Behind his head is the skull of an ancestor, most likely that of one of his deceased parents. Although human skulls were sometimes objects of exchange, the skulls of one’s own parents and of revered warriors were never traded.

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Additional information

Weight 3 kg
Dimensions 100 × 16 × 16 cm
Medium

Etching

Artist

Dennis Nona

Image Size

Paper

Paper Size

Published

Edition Size

45

Studio

Under The House Of Art Brisbane, QLD

Printer

David Jones and Tadeusz Jacek Rybinski

Types

Prints

Region

Torres Strait Islands

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