Dugong Hunting Charm

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Culture Torres Strait

Title Dugong Hunting Charm

Date 19th century

Medium Wood, stone, sennit, and and pigment

Dimensions Object: 13 3/4 × 9 × 2 3/4 in. (34.9 × 22.9 × 7 cm)
Overall: 13 3/4 × 9 × 2 3/4 in. (34.9 × 22.9 × 7 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.16

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About this Work

The dugong is an aquatic mammal that is an important source of protein for the islanders of the Torres Strait, the narrow band of water between New Guinea and Australia. Carvings of the creature were believed to ensure success in dugong hunting. This charm depicts two animals: a smaller carving of a dugong calf has been placed on the back of the larger dugong. Catching both a dugong and her calf was considered particularly lucky, since it provided additional meat.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Dugong Hunting Charm | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.16