Morris Gibson Tjapaltjarri

Pintupi Language Group

Untitled

107 x 28cms

Ref No: MG1008092

This painting depicts designs associated with the caly pan site of Warilutjana, west of Lake MacDonald. In ancestral times a large group of Tingari men camped at this site digging for water in a soakage. The line work in the painting represents the sandhills, the soakage water and body paint worn by men during ceremonies.

Since events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret sacred nature no further details were given.

The Tingari are a group of ancestral beings of the Dreaming who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites. The Tingari men were usually followed by Tingari women and accompanied by novices. Their travels and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles. These mythologies form part of the teachings of post initiatory youths today as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.