Footnotes

PROVENANCE
Elcho Island Arts, Elcho Island, Northern Territory (cat. MS/0487/Gal, MS/0418/YAL on attached label)
Annandale Galleries, Sydney
Private collection, Sydney

Gali Yalkarriwuy's Morning Star Poles represent an important ceremonial tradition of the Dhuwa Moiety. They are ritual objects created and used in ceremonial cycles relating to circumcision, death and burial. Yalkarriwuy's examples refer to one particular element of the story relating to Banumbirr, the Morning Star. Roland Robinson recounts a version of this story which he recorded around 1956: 'It is night time. In that country Pittingngor many spirits of the dead people live. They make a big song to call on the morning-star. They sing: 'Climb up, Banumbirr the morning-star, climb up the white milk-wood tree.' One spirit named Durikiyoo takes the star from the woman. He paints the tuft of feathers with red ochre. "Are you going to send my star a long way?" asks the woman. "No", says Durikiyoo. "I will make the string a little bit short. I send him to Joorningor". Durikiyoo throws the morning-star and the star climbs up the milkwood tree and goes into the sky.

The red morning-star stops at Joorningor, which is Elcho Island. There a woman is living alone. She has no husband or children. She sees the red morning-star and pulls it down out of a pandanus tree. She talks to Durikiyoo: "Is this my morning-star which you have sent?" "Yes," calls back Durikiyoo, "You can have the red morning-star. We have the white one. That is your morning-star and your ceremony. You can throw the red morning star."1

Another example by Terry Dhurritjin is held in the collection of the Australian Museum, Sydney. Their research indicates that, 'the top feathers represent the morning star itself, with the different bands painted to resemble different facets of its light. The long arms are the rays of the star, which gather up and return the souls of the deceased to their final resting place on the morning star.'2

1. Roland Robinson, The Feathered Serpent, Edwards & Shaw, Sydney, 1956, p.50
2. australianmuseum.net.au/morning-star-pole-from-elcho-island