Stockroom96 of 549
Click to enlarge- Region
- Arnhem Land
- Community
- Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island)
- Language group
- Yolŋu – Warramiri
Whale Bones, 13/9/1988
natural earth pigments on bark
162 x 58cm
$1,800
Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.
- Provenance
- Bula Bula Arts, Ramingining, NT, Cat No. BR15100
- Artwork story
- Stephen Wurraki, a member of the Warramiri clan of Elcho Island, painted scenes that embody the maritime world of his community. The Warramiri, seafaring people of north-east Arnhem Land, have long histories of engagement with the sea — voyaging across the Wessel Islands, trading with Macassan sailors, and maintaining Dreaming narratives tied to the ocean's abundance. Wurraki's depiction of "Whale Bones" situates his work firmly within this tradition: a visual articulation of ecological knowledge and ancestral law, in which marine life is inseparable from identity, sustenance, and ceremony.