- Aboriginal churinga hairpin
- Oceania
- Australia
- Width : 5,5 inch
- Height : 41,5 inch
- Depth : 0,5 inch
- Collected circa 1950' s in Western Australia, this wooden hairpin, very similar to "churingas" was worn only by fully initiated men in the back of the hair. The symbolic engraved pattern relates to the ancestors of the Dreamtime.These objects brought life and strength to individuals and fertility from the mythological being whose spirit animated a particular area. Like the "churingas", the hairpins were used in sacred ceremonies and brought the participants into the midst of the other world which inspired and sustained the tribe.
VISIT THE MUSEUM
