Kisay Dhangal

Kisay Dhangal 2014

The print is single block vinyl cut in black ink printed on Hahnemuhle and handcoloured.

The print is part of Kisay series, depicting the significant role of Kisay in customary ways of hunting dugong at night. In ancient times hunters would carve a wooden charm in the shape of a dugong. The back was carved hollow, as if it was a canoe. Ancestral bones and sea grass obtained from the mouth of a previously killed dugong were placed in the hollow. The charm was then tied beneath the nath (hunting platform). When moonlight shines on the charm, the hunter waiting on the nath with a wap (harpoon), whispers a sacred chant that leads dugong to the nath. When there is no moon, a different chant is whispered to acknowledge the phosphorescence created by dugong when exhaling underwater.

The print will update our holding of the artist's work and significantly enhance our representation of 18 prints, by revealing information about spiritual ancestors and totems of the Torres Strait Islands. The work with other two prints of the series will transmit information about Torres Strait Islander culture to our viewing public. Moreover, the composition and linear detailing of each of the prints demonstrates Tipoti's masterful carving skills and great ability as a storyteller.