Mawan Wasal - Mawa Ceremony II

Artist Billy John McFarlane Missi (1970-2012)

Date2006

Object number00055469

NameLinocut

MediumLinocut

DimensionsOverall (paper): 1250 × 2200 mm
Overall (image): 1000 × 1998 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Michael and Diane Kershaw

Terms

DescriptionLinocut print by artist Billy Missi that depicts the Mawan Wasal, the Mawa Ceremony of the Western Torres Strait. The central figure wears a mawa (mask) who leads row of dancers above while in the foreground are kasi (seated figures looking on). Above the dancers, there is a row of yams and plants and a large central basket filled with yams appears below the mask wearer. Mawan Wasal, the Mawa Ceremony, was a celebration of the arrival of native fruits and yams such as Ubar or Wongai (native plum), Kowai (bush apple), Mergai (bush berry), Gabau (wild yams) and others. It was our ancestors’ beliefs that Mawa provided these fruits and the Mawan Wasal was a dance expression of celebration and thanksgiving to him for these gifts of nature and to ensure that they will be plentiful in seasons to come.HistoryWestern Torres Strait beliefs are often shown through dance and song. Mawan Wasal, the Mawa Ceremony, was once performed widely throughout the region, celebrating the arrival of native fruits and yams. The artist Billy Missi relates: "The basket in the bottom centre of the print represents a good season for Gabu (wild yams). Kaisi (the onlookers) carefully observe the strong and fit dancers as the ceremony progresses. My uncle once told me that it was during these ceremonies that marriages were arranged. The members of the tribe who produced the biggest harvest were the most favoured. The patterns and lines that run between the human figures, the harvesting basket and the fruits represent the spiritual bond between them that makes them one with nature. The man in the Mawa mask in the centre orchestrates the movement of the dance. He is anonymous. A line of dancers in the background frame the figure of Mawa and express their joyfulness of the riches of the crops. Practicing these ceremonies every year was so important to hold the bonding and relationships between the tribes. Dancing was also means of keeping healthy, fit and strong to enable our people to survive in this wilderness. It was our ancestors’ beliefs that Mawa provided these fruits and the Mawan Wasal was a dance expression for seasonal timeframe, celebration and thanksgiving to him for these gifts of nature and to ensure that they will be plentiful in seasons to come. But it was more than a simple dance, it was a transcendence of the physical, a way to connect with the life forces that flow through our trees, out seas and ourselves." SignificanceCultural, Spiritual, Social and Seasonal Ceremonial practices documented in lino print by late Torres Strait Islander artist Billy Missi.