Floating life: contemporary Aboriginal fibre art

65 Banumbirr: The brightest star Diane Moon The banumbirr (morning star) poles in ‘Floating Life’ resemble those used in ceremonies in north-eastern Arnhem Land, in which the importance of the morning star (the planet Venus) is celebrated. Banumbirr songs and dances are performed in dhuwa moiety maradjirri rites, which link disparate groups through shared ceremonial obligations and the sociability of the occasion. They may also be used in memorials for the deceased, in contemporary re-enactments that mirror the actions of spirit ancestors. This unique collection of poles and fibre objects was made by artists from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island), a small island lying off the northern shores of Arnhem Land. It was developed under the authority of senior clan leaders, and also includes works by younger men who will take responsibility in the future for banumbirr knowledge and rituals. Clear aesthetic and cultural divisions in the collection relate to seven specific regions linked with banumbirr’s travels. They are Gakupa Island; Mulakala, a beach and adjacent jungle; the beachside jungle at Gamburramburr; the beach at Gamburramburr; Djarraya (the tip of Napier Peninsular); Bamaka Island; a burial place in the Wessel Islands; and an area named Djongingur on Elcho Island. Aspects of the banumbirr narrative are shared by many Arnhem Land clans, with different versions of the story unfolding as it travels across the north, and ritual objects, paintings, songs and dances reflect changes in flora and fauna connected with specific tracts of land. It is often told that banumbirr arose in the east, lighting the way for the Djang’kawu sisters on their journey to the mainland from Burralku (the island where the souls of the deceased reside). Every day at sunset, the spirits at Burralku hold a morning star ceremony. As the dancing intensifies, disturbing the dust, it creates the twilight which gradually merges into darkness. During the day and into the night, the star is secreted by an old woman in a special bag, represented in this collection by Joyce Gumburrawuy Gandangu’s sublime feathered string bag. Each day, just before dawn, the old woman releases the star on a long string. First, it ascends to the top of a tall pandanus tree to survey the places it has to visit, and then it flies over Arnhem Land heralding the dawn, pausing over each of the dhuwa moiety clans that are related to it. As the sun appears, the old woman reels banumbirr in by its feathered string to be hidden again until the next evening; the elusive star seems to simply disappear as the morning light intensifies. The original banumbirr was made by spirits using the leaves and flowers of several dhuwa moiety yam plants. Today, ornamented poles painted with clan designs are used ceremonially to represent the star. Raki (string), which is central to the banumbirr story in a spiritual sense, is made from various bark fibres and even from the hair of family members. Making string is an arduous task, and men acknowledge the support and very real assistance women have given them to achieve the transcendent beauty of these objects, in making great lengths of feathered strings. They have also worked on the pul pul (bunches of beautifully composed feathers) attached to the strings, and the tufts of feathers on the tips of some poles which represent the bright star. Though made for public exhibition, this collection has been created with as much care and reverence as the poles and objects used in Arnhem Land ceremonies, and is held sacred by the makers. Through their acts of creation, the artists have affirmed their affiliation with specific places and intensified their connectedness with the spirit world, the cosmos and all humanity. Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi Galpu people NT b.1942 Banumbirr (Morning star pole) (detail) 2003 Bark fibre string, feathers, native beeswax, synthetic polymer paint on wood 207 x 17cm (diam.) Acc. 2005.028 Purchased 2004