IDNO

LS.109110.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Australia. Arunta.
Totemic ceremony.
Group of men discussing matters at the close of a ceremony of the Udniringita (Witchetty grub) totem." [first manuscript in ink]
"North. T.C.A. fig. 46." [second manuscript in ink]

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.375.ACH1: "Discussion at close of witchetty grub ceremony, North T.C.A. fig. 46."

Group of Aranda (Arunta) men sitting in a circle and participating in the closing of the ceremony of Udniringita. Two of the men have their upper bodies decorated with white pipeclay? and down? The shield on the left is decorated with larger and smaller series of concentric circles of down. The larger circles represent the seeds of an Eremophila bush on which the grub feeds and the smaller circles represent the eggs of the adult insect.
The landscape in the background consists of rocks with shrubs. [WV 9/2/2009]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Central Australia

Cultural Affliation

Arunta

Named Person

Photographer

Baldwin Spencer, Walter; or Gillen, Francis James

Collector / Expedition

Northern Tribes of Central Australia fieldwork by Baldwin Spencer, Walter and Gillen, Francis James [March 1901 - March 1902]

Date

March 1901 - March 1902

Collection Name

Teaching Slide CollectionHaddon Unmounted Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Image published in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 183, fig. 46 with the following caption:
"Group of men discussing matters at the close of a ceremony of the udniringita (a grub) totem." [WV 9/2/2009]

Photographer: Note in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1927, p. xiii states all photos were taken by the authors. [WV 23/1/2009]

Context: the closing of the ceremony of udniringita is described as follows in Spencer Baldwin and Gillen:
"As soon as this ceremony was over the audience arose and silently walked across to the spot at which the performer of the second sat on the ground with two decorated shields beside him. He represented a celebrated ancestor of the Udniringita (witchetty grub) totem called Urangara. Of the two shields, a smaller one was ornamented with zigzag lines of white pipe-clay which were supposed to indicate the tracks of the Udniringita grub, while a bigger one was covered with larger and smaller series of concentric circles of down, the for,mer representing the seeds of an Eremophila bush on which the grub feeds, and the latter the egg of the adult insect (fig. 46). As in the first ceremony the men sat down silently while the performer wriggled, imitating the fluttering of the insect when first it leaves its chrysalis case in the ground and attempts to fly. There was no singing or dancing about, and when all was over the men sat for some time in silence, and then, as they gathered more closely together, the larger shield was taken and pressed in turn against the stomach of each of them, whilst one of the oldest members of the totem group brought a recently initiated youth on to the ground and explained t him the meaning of the ceremony; while this was being done the shield was held against his stomach for some little time (Fig. 47). (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 180-182). [WV 9/2/2009]

Cultural Group: The group photographed have been identified as belonging to the Warlpiri language group by Joe Neparrnga Gumbula, Arnhem Land. [JD 10/7/2012]