oceania | Australia
Churinga
Australia
Churinga Votive Stone
Aboriginal Australian
Central Desert, Australia
19th century
Carved stone, pigment, ochre
Height: 24 cm – 9 ½ in.
Provenance
Collection Jean-Edouard Carlier, Paris
Private collection, Nice, France
Collection Franck Marcelin, France
Churinga votive stone 24 cm / Galerie FLAK
Price: on request
Churinga (or Tjurunga) votive boards of the Western Desert in Australia are sacred objects symbolizing the spirits of the ancestors and marking the place of the clan in the world.
Each tribe, clan, family, are connected to animals, plants or inanimate objects. The myths and relationships between each human group are inscribed in the churinga. These ties are highlighted during aboriginal ceremonies, songs and peregrinations that are often described as "Songlines". The conventional tracks recall the legends and symbols that will help the holder to recall the founding myths.
Churingas were carved with great care and patience. These revered objects could only be seen by initiated men during ceremonial times. The rest of the year, churingas were preciously wrapped in tapa (bark) cloth or in animal skins and kept in sacred places.
Each tribe, clan, family, are connected to animals, plants or inanimate objects. The myths and relationships between each human group are inscribed in the churinga. These ties are highlighted during aboriginal ceremonies, songs and peregrinations that are often described as "Songlines". The conventional tracks recall the legends and symbols that will help the holder to recall the founding myths.
Churingas were carved with great care and patience. These revered objects could only be seen by initiated men during ceremonial times. The rest of the year, churingas were preciously wrapped in tapa (bark) cloth or in animal skins and kept in sacred places.
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