Pukumani- Aboriginal Australian EventEvent
Description
The first funeral, performed by Purukupali over the body of his infant son Jinini after he decreed that death would be permanent for all living things. Every Tiwi death since has been marked by Pukumani: carved ironwood poles erected around the grave, bodies painted in ochre, days of dance and song.
Mythology & Lore
The First Funeral
Purukupali's infant son Jinini died from exposure after his wife Bima left the child unattended. Japara the moon man offered to restore Jinini to life. Purukupali refused. He decreed that death would be permanent for all living things, performed the first funeral rites over his son's body, and walked backward into the sea carrying the child. Both drowned.
Before Purukupali's decree, death could be undone. Afterward, it could not. The ceremony he performed became the Pukumani, the proper way to honor every Tiwi who has followed Jinini into the ground.
The Tutini
At the heart of every Pukumani are the tutini: elaborately carved and painted burial poles fashioned from ironwood trunks, erected around the grave. Each pole is unique, carved into distinctive shapes and decorated with natural pigments. The number and arrangement reflect the status of the deceased.
Once the ceremony ends, the tutini are left where they stand. They are not maintained or preserved. Wind and rain break them down, and the poles return to the earth. The mourners are painted in ochre designs specific to their relationship with the deceased. They dance and sing for days. Then they stop. The poles weather. The ceremony is finished.
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