Summary

This alparr or 'coolamon' was painted with elaborate patterns of totemic designs on both surfaces by the artist Billy Stockman Peltharr/Tjapaltjarri. This particualr object has features what appear to be bird and possibly fish figures in the interior of the alparr. Central Australian coolamons were generally made from a light wood from the Bats-wing Coral Tree (Erythina vespertilio).Their overall shape was mostly oval and the curve of the wood allowed for the collecting and winnowing of seeds that were then ground and made into cakes and cooked. Women also used them to carry other plant foods, the remnants of which can still be found in some museum examples, and for water like this one. Alparr were also used in ceremonies and are used by important Ancestral figures in local Anengkerr (Dreaming) stories for the Napperby area.

Local Name

Alparr

Physical Description

A vessel made from a single piece of wood. Both sides are painted with iconic desert designs of concentric circles, dots and curvilinear motifs.

Significance

This was painted with elaborate pattern of totemic designs by the famous Western Desert artist, Billy Stockman, who lived at Papunya for many years. Stockman also lived and worked on the nearby cattle stations of Napperby, Mt. Allan and Mt. Doreen.

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