Patupiri (bats)

$1,125.00

Contemporary carvings by Anangu are known as punu, hand carved and decorated with walka: patterns burnt into the wood with wire heated on a wood fire. The animals all have their associations with the Tjukurpa, the stories of the creation ancestors and their activities which shaped the land, the people and their law. Many of the details of Tjukurpa are restricted to senior custodians and details of this carving’s story cannot be described. 

Patupiri or bats are only rarely carved on the lands just as they are rarely seen except sometimes on hot summer nights when they are drawn out to drink. When they are depicted, it is usually like this, with wings outstretched in mid-flight.