Alvira Bird Mpetyane Anmatyere , b. 1984
Womens Ceremony, 2020
acrylic on linen
90 x 100 cm
35 3/8 x 39 3/8 in
35 3/8 x 39 3/8 in
MM4850
Women's Ceremony is called 'Awelye' in the Anmatyerre/Alyawarre languages of Utopia. In Aboriginal culture men's and women's ceremonies are usually separate. They are held for a range of reasons and...
Women's Ceremony is called 'Awelye' in the Anmatyerre/Alyawarre languages of Utopia. In Aboriginal culture men's and women's ceremonies are usually separate. They are held for a range of reasons and are focal points in the life of the community. In the Women's Ceremony participants smear their bodies with animal fat and then trace ceremonial designs on the breasts and upper part of the body using a variety of powders ground from charcoal and yellow and red ochre. During the ceremony women gather together and sing and dance led by the most senior members of the clan group. The body paint designs vary from ceremony to ceremony and depend on the subject and time of year the ceremony is held. Different symbols are painted on the body and may vary from person to person, depending on the seniority of each member.
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