Fish on poles by Arthur Koo'ekka Pambegan Jr
Sculptor
Arthur Koo'ekka Pambegan Jr
(1936-2010)
Date1988
Object number00004846
NameSculpture
MediumNatural pigment, milkwood (galor), fibre
DimensionsOverall: 855 mm, 1.2 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis sculpture of bonefish represents the ongoing engagement with the sea by modern members of the oldest surviving maritime cultures in the world in Cape York, Queensland. Sculptures such as this are the basis of ceremonial dances based on night fishing. The fishes' stripes of black, white and red are similar to the paint worn by dancers at the Wik-Mungkan Winchanam ceremony.
HistoryArthur Koo-ekka Pambegan Jr was born in 1936. He and his father made a number of the sculptures which were collected by Frederick McCarthy during 1962 at Aurukun - the region of Western Cape York Peninsula, Archer River area, language: Wik - Mungkan. These sculptures are now included in the National Museum of Australia. The fish sculpture formed a centerpiece of a dance, which represented bone fish being hunted at night by spear fishermen in canoes.
From 1964 to 1971 Frederick McCarthy was the Foundation Principal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, the parent organization of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). Two years prior to his appointment there, the anthropologist visited Aurukun in Cape York and collected a number of Aboriginal art works, including fish on poles. The bonefish is an important totem for the people from Aurukun, integral to their dance, traditions, economy and rituals.
SignificanceThis sculpture represents the Indigenous people from Cape York's western peninsula, Queensland. It formed a centrepiece of a dance, representing the Bone fish being hunted at night by spear fisherman in canoes.
