IDNO

P.966.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: “Gawer’s shrine (large scale) Dauar.”

On Catalogue Card for duplicate image LS.109370.TC1: “Folk tales.
'Gawers’ place'. Keriam, Dauer.
GAWER & her treasures. (Abob & Kos myth).” [manuscript in ink]

View of a cleared section of undergrowth showing a number of differently shaped stones, some of which are positioned upright, and clam shells. [Jude Philp 27/5/1999, description from record P.966.ACH1, JD 15/09/2021]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Torres Strait; Mer; Dauar Island [Murray Islands]

Cultural Affliation

Torres Strait Islander

Named Person

Photographer

Wilkin, Anthony

Collector / Expedition

Haddon, Alfred Cort [Cambridge University Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Straits, 1898 - 1899]

Date

1898

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon CollectionTorres Strait Island Expedition

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Printed in Reports VI: III, 2 "Gawer and her treasures, ido lu (cf. Pl. VI. fig.4: p.28)."
The place relates to the story of Abob and Kos. The stone, centre right with deep impressions at each side of the top represents a type of fish. The stone is now in UCMAA (see above). “It is said that when Abobo and Kos met Gawer at Sewereat they gave her a weare to eat and she took it to her place at Keriam, which accounts for the stone fish being there.”
"Gawer is now a piece of fine-grained volcanic ash, 217mm. in height, that stood in the garden at Keriam in Dauar which belongs to Komaberi (Kameri, 26)." (Vol. VI, p. 28). [Jude Philp 27/5/1999, updated JD 15/09/2021]

MAA Exhibition: Image of the same scene included in 1920s Exhibition Case Binders "Cases 5-10. Torres Strait." (OA2/16/4) with the following information: "53. Gawer and her treasures at Keriam on Dauar.
This is connected with the story of Abob and Kos, two mythical brothers who were culture-heroes and among other matters showed the people how to construct fish-weirs (No. 22). Gawer was an old woman who equipped the heroes when they were about to kill the Warip people of Waier. She is now a stone figure, the stone carving (case 8) represents the head of the weare fish. Abob and Kos gave a weare to Gawer to eat and this was one of her ido lu treasures. (Case 8)
Gawer is a lu babat and not a zogo.
Vol. VI, p. 28.
Photo. taken in 1898 by A. Wilkin." [JD 15/09/2021]