WANGARRA SPIRITS, 2002

Important Aboriginal Art
Melbourne
25 March 2009
21

JIMMY AN.GUNGUNA

born 1935
WANGARRA SPIRITS, 2002

natural earth pigments on carved softwood

138.0 x 13.0 cm and 190.0 x 21.0 cm

Sold for $12,000 (inc. BP) in Auction 7 - 25 March 2009, Melbourne
Provenance

Maningrida Arts and Culture, Northern Territory
Private collection, Melbourne

Catalogue text

These works are accompanied by certificates of authenticity from Maningrida Arts and Culture, Northern Territory (catalogue numbers 6439-02 /6703-02 respectively). The certificate states in part, ‘Wangarra is a word in the Burarra language of central north Arnhem Land used to describe spiritual beings similar in some respects to the English concept of ghost or bogymen. Wangarra is a generic term which can include both spirit beings which continually inhabit certain sites or objects but can also mean the spirit of a recently deceased person. Although these two classes of spirits can be referred to as Wangarra they should not be confused as the same beings.’