IDNO

T.67682.MFL

Description

Three Arnhem Land men and a non-native man sitting beside a sand drawing. This photograph depicts a purification ceremony. The ‘sand drawings’ described on the slide are sand sculptures from this purification ceremony (see slides T.67683 and T67682). This ceremony is part of Yolngu funeral ceremonies and involves purifying the dead person’s clothes and belongings as well as cleansing or freeing people who are associated with the dead person.
This is a public ceremony and the photograph does not need to be restricted. [Knowledge shared by Joe Neparrnga Gumbula, Arnhem Land, with notes by Rachael Murphy and JD 10/7/2012]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Northern Territory; Arnhem Land; Maningrida

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Date

1960

Collection Name

Macfarlane Collection

Source

Macfarlane, Alan

Format

Transparency

Primary Documentation

Other Information

T.67481 to T.68999 and T.74937 to T.74998 were found in the box now numbered C494/.
T.67682 to T.67695 were found in the plastic slide sheet now numbered C494/11/.

Place: Maningrida settlement, to the east of Darwin, was set up as a Government welfare department settlement after World War II. People from other areas in north east Arnhem Land would use it as a place to meet. Some of the photographs are from the settlement and Maningrida beach. It is now a town. [Knowledge shared by Joe Neparrnga Gumbula, Arnhem Land, with notes by Rachael Murphy and JD 10/7/2012]

Context: This photograph depicts a purification ceremony. The ‘sand drawings’ described on the slide are sand sculptures from this purification ceremony (see slides T.67683 and T67682). This ceremony is part of Yolngu funeral ceremonies and involves purifying the dead person’s clothes and belongings as well as cleansing or freeing people who are associated with the dead person. This is a public ceremony and the photograph does not need to be restricted. [Knowledge shared by Joe Neparrnga Gumbula, Arnhem Land, with notes by Rachael Murphy and JD 10/7/2012]