Images(3)

Carved Pearl Shell Gwarn and Riji

Maker Bruce Wiggan

Date2015

Object number00054864

NameShell

MediumPearl Shell and natural pigment

Dimensions175 x 130 x 28 mm
342 grams

ClassificationsCeremonial artefact

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA carved pearl shell known as Gwarn and Ridji. It is a tear shaped pearl shell with iridescent qualities with incised lines highlighted with red/brown pigment. The lines form a geometric pattern of connected parallel lines going in varying directions. This gwarn was made by Bruce Wiggan, a Bardi elder from One Arm Point/Ardyaloon in Western Australia. His skills in carving Ridji, a sacred object from the West Kimberley is renowned. Bruce's work is in many national and international collections. HistoryA Gwarn is a unique ceremonial and culturally significant shells specific to Western Australia. They are distinctive to Aboriginal culture especially to the Bardi people and known as 'riji' or 'jakuli' in the Bardi language. Incised pearl shells with a mixture of ochre and resin rubbed into the grooves of engraved ceremonial stories, to highlight inscribed designs. Riji were traditionally worn by the men who had been initiated to a high level and were worn as pubic coverings tied on with a belt made of hairstring. Riji are connected with water, spiritual powers and healing due to the shiny, glowing quality of their surfaces. In Bardi culture the light reflecting of the shells is linked to lightning flashes which are seen during the monsoon season as well as linking them to the flash of light of the cheeks of the Rainbow Serpent who is connected to water and rain. They are usually incised with sacred patterns and tribal insignia or inscribed to tell a story. Riji were objects of great value and were traded with inland Aboriginal people along ancient trade routes and songlines over vast areas of the continent. They have been found at Yuendumu in the desert, south-eastern Arnhem Land, Queensland and South Australia. Certain Aboriginal artists with cultural knowledge and permissions are still making Riji today, and many can be seen in Broome. Some use the older, sacred patterns, while others choose to use more modern designs. SignificanceA gwarn is a traditional sacred object of the Bardi people of One Arm Point community north of Broome in Western Australia. While the object itself is called a Gwarn, the carved pattern on the Gwarn is a Riji. Each Ridji tells a different story. After the shell is carved, the artist rubs traditional ochre mixed with a fixative into the carvings to create the contrast and pattern.