![Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) artwork by LILA WARRIMOU (MISASO) of Omie Artists. The title is Design of the ceremonial shell necklace and spots of the wood-boring grub. [11-140] (Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkcloth))](https://media.redotgallery.com/stockroom/gallery/d/design-of-the-ceremonial-shell-necklace-and-spots-of-the-wood-boring-grub-6084.png)
LILA WARRIMOU (MISASO)
Design of the ceremonial shell necklace and spots of the wood-boring grub11-140
Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkcloth)
Design of the ceremonial shell… | 11-140
Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkclot…
97 x 79cm | 38.19 x 31.1in
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Lila has painted the customary barkcloth design of hartu’e, representing the pendant of a necklace made from seashells and seashell fragments. Lila was taught this design by her former husband Nathan Gama, Chief of Ematé clan men. Nathan grew up in Enopé village where most Ematé clanspeople lived before the eruption of Huvaimo (Mount Lamington) in 1951. In the times of the ancestors, this shell was obtained the from coastal tribes of Oro Province by means of trade and they also collected them from the beach. Most shell hartu’e and other shell necklaces that can still be found in the Ömie mountains were originally traded by the owners parents or grandparents a long time ago. Hartu’e have mouthpieces behind the shell which dancers bite to display in their mouths during ceremonial dance performances. These days the hartu’e ‘shell’ pendant is fashioned from the breastbone of the cassowary to replicate the shell.
The lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or ‘pathways’ and provide a compositional framework for the designs. The or’e (path) designs are ancient and originate from the time of the Ancestors and relate to the intricate footpaths that run through food gardens and garden plots.
The spots which can be seen within the border are sabu ahe, representing the spots found on the sides of a wood-boring grub. This grub is sacred to Ömie people as it plays an important part within the creation story of how Huvaimo (Mount Lamington) came to be volcanic. It is a traditional sor’e (tattoo design) which was most commonly tattooed running in one line under both eyes. Today it is applied to Ömie people’s faces for dance performances with bright natural pigments.