Totem and Bandicoot Dance

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Totem and Bandicoot Dance

Artist: Binyinyuwuy (Djambarrpuyngu / Australian, 1928 - 1982)

Culture: Aboriginal Australians (Djambarrpuyngu language group)

Date: ca. 1950-1960

Medium: Natural pigments on bark

Dimensions:

h. 39 3/8 in. (100 cm); w. 13 in. (33 cm)

Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.

Object number: 77.1050

Label Text

While seemingly abstract, this painting references the natural world, ancestral beings, and the vibrant practice of body painting for ceremonial dance. The diamond shapes indicate sugarbag (guku), a native honey, which is a prominent motif in the Birrkulda initiation ceremony. The dashlike marks represent the bandicoot (wunkura), a small marsupial and significant animal totem associated with this ceremonial cycle. Binyinyuwuy was a leading artist during the 1950s at Milingimbi Methodist Mission’s art center, which operates today as the community-owned Milingimbi Art and Culture.
(Lana Meador, 2022)

On view

The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.

Artwork

Totem and Bandicoot Dance

Totem and Bandicoot Dance