Tunga (Bark Basket) Tiwi Islands c1997, 55x35cm

This beautifully painted Tunga (Bark Basket) c1997 originates from the Tiwi Islands and measures 55 x 35cm. Tungas are traditional bark baskets made from the stringy-bark tree which are unique to the Tiwi .

In the creation story the creator Mundungkala carried her three children in a tunga while she manifested the two Tiwi islands, Melville and Bathurst. It is also believed that the ancestor, Baraka 'the spider woman' made the first tunga.

Tungas served various purposes, both utilitarian and ceremonial. Unpainted tungas were used to collect food while the elaborately painted tungas were made for ceremony.

During the final Pukamani ceremony large tungas called Yimwalini were filled with gifts for the dancers. They were then upturned on top of a Pukamani pole to ensure the deceased would not haunt the living, but instead travel safely to the spirit world.

Tungas are labour intensive, beginning with removing the bark from a stringy bark tree and soaking it, then heating it on an open fire, bending it in half and sewing it together with lawyer vine.

The holes are made with wallaby bone called Pwatja. The artist then paints the tunga using traditional body paint designs called 'Jilamara'. All tunga's are painted in traditional earth pigments (ochres).