The wira is a smaller version of the piti or wooden bowl which is a traditional woman’s carrying vessel for food and water. It is used in many ways including as a ladle for collecting water and for digging with.
As most contemporary Maruku artists use walka, patterns burnt into the wood with wire heated on a wood fire to relate Tjukurpa, stories about the Tjukuritja or Creation Ancestors and the activities which shaped the land, the people and their Law, this bowl is an increasingly rare example of women’s work.
Details
Artist: Lena Dawson
Title: Wira (Collecting Bowl)
Size: Length: (mm): L340 x W180 x H94mm
Medium: 'itara' - River red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis
