Item X 983 bagu or jigubina | Fire utensil. Herbert River, Rainforest, Queensland, Australia. c.1880

Summary

The fire kit comprises a base only, the cylindrical sticks used to make fire being absent.

Local Name

bagu or jigubina

Physical Description

A broad flat item made from a single piece of wood painted with natural pigments. The design is geometric abstract pattern.

Significance

This is a very unusual example of a bagu, with an abstract shape rather than the usual human form with stylised face. These objects are associated with the spirit known as jigubina (historically written as "tikovina"). Settler, John Gaggin was based at Ripple Creek cane plantation near Ingham in the late nineteenth century, and he described this item as a "war charm". It is possibly made of pinewood rather than the usual milkwood, possibly made for Gaggin or at his request, and another bagu collected by him can be found in the collections of Queensland Museum.