Totem and Bandicoot Dance
Artist:
Binyinyuwuy
(Djambarrpuyngu / Australian, 1928 - 1982)
Place made:Northern Territory, Australia
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
Copyright: © Binyinyuwuy
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)
(Lana Meador, 2022)
On view
In Collection(s)
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.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
