KULAMA DESIGN

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by LYDWINA PURUNTATAMERI

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Tiwi art - Melville Island

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• Natural pigments on Canvas - year 2019

• 210cm x 40cm

• Catalogue number: 19-292
   

• $1,500.00 AUD

• or $150.00 per month over 10 months with Art Money

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There is a prescribed ritual to be followed during the KULAMA ceremony.

The KULAMA design depicts this important ceremony of the Tiwi people.​

The dancers and singers create a circle and prepare the poisonous yam for eating, as indicated by the circles in the painting.​

The KULAMA ceremony was given to the Tiwi people by the NYINGAWI who are little spirit people. 

It is a celebration of life and food, occurring at the end of the wet season.​

The Tiwi people know when to perform KULAMA, when the last full moon of the wet season has a yellow halo surrounding it, which tells them that JAPARRA, the moon man, is ready for it to begin.