Australian Aboriginal Tiwi goauche painting, "Jilimara", bird & snake. Shirley Puruntatameri, #AGKD58 ~ 22" x 15"
Australian Aboriginal Tiwi, painting, gouache on paper by Shirley Puruntatameri (nee) Tipungwuti, Melville Island, Australia. “Jilamara”, bird and snake.
Shirley Puruntatameri is an Aboriginal Australian artist born in 1959. She is a prolific painter of Jilamara, a Tiwi ceremonial design. This work, which was done on Melville Island, where we acquired it, incorporates some Jilamara design in the feathers of the bird.
During Tiwi Islands ceremonies,' yoi' (dances), are performed. Dancers are painted with turtiyanginari (the different natural ochre colours) in varying designs, transforming them or protecting them from being recognized by mapurtiti (spirits).
These designs can be applied in ochre to body and face. These designs are called 'Jilamara'.
We acquired this work for our retail gallery inventory in 2001. while on a buying trip to the Tiwi Islands.
22" x 15" #AGKD58