A memorial pole, also known as hollow log coffin, burial pole, lorrkkon, ḻarrakitj, or ḏupun, is a hollow

tree trunk Trunks are the Plant stem, stems of woody plants and the main structural element of trees. The woody part of the trunk consists of dead but structurally significant heartwood and living sapwood, which is used for nutrient storage and transport ...

decorated with elaborate designs, made by the

Yolngu The Yolngu or Yolŋu ( or ) are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. ''Yolngu'' means "person" in the Yolŋu languages. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnuma ...

and

Bininj The Bininj are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Arnhem land in the Northern Territory. The sub-groups of Bininj are sometimes referred to by the various language dialects spoken in the region, that is, the group of dialects known as Bi ...

peoples of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

of Australia. Originally used to hold the bones of deceased people or for burial ceremonies, they are now made as works of art. The permanent exhibit at the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, ''

Aboriginal Memorial The ''Aboriginal Memorial'' is a work of contemporary Indigenous Australian art from the late 1980s, and comprises 200 decorated hollow log coffins (also known as memorial poles, dupun, ḻarrakitj and other terms). It was conceived by Djon Mu ...

'', consists of 200 hollow log coffins, created by 43 artists.

Terminology

The poles are variously known as lorrkkon (in West

Bininj Kunwok Bininj Kunwok is an Australian Aboriginal language which includes six dialects: Kunwinjku (formerly Gunwinggu), Kuninjku, Kundjeyhmi (formerly Gundjeihmi), Manyallaluk Mayali (Mayali), Kundedjnjenghmi, and two varieties of Kune (Kune Dulerayek a ...

), ḻarrakitj (in the east), or ḏupun by the Yolngu people. The names derive from the name of the burial ceremony, also variously called djalumbu, badurru, mudukundja, mululu and larajeje. English names include hollow log coffins, burial pole, and memorial pole.

Description and uses

Hollow log coffins vary in size: those made for a burial ceremony are large, while smaller logs may hold the bones of a person (as

ossuaries An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years th ...

), to be kept by their family for some time. They can also represent the deceased person, with designs mirroring those painted on the body during the

burial rites ''Burial Rites'' (2013) is a novel by Australian author Hannah Kent, based on a true story about the last woman to be executed in Iceland. Premise ''Burial Rites'' tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who ...

. Sometimes there is a small painted or carved hole near the top, provided to allow the deceased's soul to look out on the land. Traditionally, the log is that of the

stringybark A stringybark can be any of the many ''Eucalyptus'' species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family Myrtaceae. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species (in particular messmate strin ...

Eucalyptus tetrodonta ''Eucalyptus tetrodonta'', commonly known as Darwin stringybark or messmate, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to northern Australia. It has rough, stringy or fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped leave ...

'' which has been naturally hollowed out by

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

s. The poles are painted with elaborate and intricate designs, which relate to the deceased's clan, and are believed to help guide the soul to its home, where spirits and ancestors would then recognise it. The designs relate to ancestral identity, and sometimes link groups connected to the same ancestral beings. The designs are filled in with cross-hatching, in a form known as

rarrk Bark painting is an Australian Aboriginal art form, involving painting on the interior of a strip of tree bark Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines, and shrubs. Bark ref ...

. As works of art, they celebrate the ancestors and old cultural wisdom, as well as operating as a

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

for the designs of the artists. Burial ceremonies are associated with a celebration of life, and the designs represent identity and

connection to Country The Indigenous peoples of Australia, that is Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people, have strong and complex relationships with the concept of "Country" (often capitalised). In this sense it does not refer to the nation of A ...

. Yolngu women were not allowed to paint sacred themes on larrakitj (or

bark painting Bark painting is an Australian Aboriginal art form, involving painting on the interior of a strip of tree bark. While examples of painted bark shelters were found in the south-eastern states (then colonies) of Tasmania, Victoria, and New South W ...

s) until 1970, but since then many women have taken up the practice. Elders have supported the creation of memorial poles as artworks. The Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre (Buku) produces the poles to be sold internationally.

Exhibits

The poles are sometimes displayed as individual works of art, or grouped, usually according to the Yolngu

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

, moiety and kinship rules. The

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

holds an installation originally created in 1988 called the ''

'', consisting of 200 hollow log coffins from Central

. It is intended to commemorate all of the

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

who have died defending their land since the

colonisation of Australia 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

in 1788, and made for public display. There is a path through the installation, representing the course of the

Glyde River Glyde may refer to: * George Glyde (1821–1898), settler of Western Australia * Henry George Glyde (1906–1998), Canadian painter * Lavington Glyde (1825–1890), South Australian politician, perhaps not related to Samuel and William * Rosemar ...

estuary, flowing through the

Arafura Swamp The Arafura Swamp is a large inland freshwater wetland in Arnhem Land, in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is a near pristine floodplain with an area of that may expand to by the end of the wet season, making it the largest ...

before reaching the sea. The exhibit, which was created by 43 artists from

Ramingining Ramingining is an Aboriginal Australian community of mainly Yolngu people in the Northern Territory, Australia, east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. Wulkabimirri is a tiny outstation (homeland) nearby, and M ...

, was moved to a prominent new location in the gallery in June 2022. In 2014, the work of

Wukun Wanambi Wukun Wanambi (1962 – 1 May 2022) was an Australian Yolngu painter, filmmaker and curator of the Marrakulu clan of northeastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Biography Wanambi was born in Gurka'wuy as the oldest son in his family. His f ...

, which focuses on larritj, was exhibited at the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. In 2020, The

Fralin Museum of Art The Fralin Museum of Art is an art museum at the University of Virginia. Before 2012, it was known as the University of Virginia Art Museum. It occupies the historic Thomas H. Bayly Building on Rugby Road in Charlottesville, Virginia, a short dis ...

and the

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia houses one of the finest Indigenous Australian art collections in the world, rivaling many of the collections held in Australia. It is the only museum outside Australia dedic ...

co-presented an exhibition called ''Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles'' at the Fralin, in

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The exhibition included the work of

John Mawurndjul Balang Nakurulk (1952–2024) was a highly regarded Australian contemporary Indigenous Australian art, contemporary Indigenous artist. He uses traditional motifs in innovative ways to express spiritual and cultural values. He is especially know ...

, Djambawa Marawili

Gabriel Maralngurra Gabriel Maralngurra, also known by his clan name Nawakadj Ngalangbali, (1968-2025) was a leading Kunwinjku speaking artist, author, and researcher in West Arnhem Land, Australia. As an Aboriginal artist, he was well-known and respected within ...

and Joe Guymala. This exhibition increased demand for the poles in the art world. There is a "forest" of larrakitj in the Elder Wing of the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, which includes works by

Gulumbu Yunupingu Gulumbu Yunupingu (1943 – 9 May 2012), after her death known as Djotarra or Ms Yunupingu, was an Australian Aboriginal artist and women's leader from the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Early life an ...

and Nawurapu Wunungmurra. Larrakitj by Wunungmurra were shown in the

Tarnanthi Tarnanthi (pronounced tar-nan-dee) is a Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art held in Adelaide, South Australia, annually. Presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) in association with the South Austra ...

art festival in 2017–2018. In May 2021, two burial poles were erected at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

in Canberra, to commemorate the return of over 200

blood sample In medicine, sampling is gathering of matter from the body to aid in the process of a medical diagnosis and/or evaluation of an indication for treatment, further medical tests or other procedures. In this sense, the sample is the gathered matter ...

s to the

Galiwin'ku Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhem ...

people, taken without consent and returned 50 years later in 2019. An exhibition of larrikitj, bark paintings and other works by a number of women artist at Buku, including sisters

Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu (1935–2005; also rendered Yunupiŋu) was a senior Yolngu artist and matriarch, who lived in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. She worked at the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, where her work ...

, Barrupu Yunupingu,

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu Nyapanyapa Yunupingu (c. 1945 – 20 October 2021) was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker who lived and worked in the community at Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Yunupingu created works of art that drastically diver ...

, and

Eunice Djerrkngu Yunupingu Eunice may refer to: People Given name *Eunice (Bible), mother of Timothy * Eunice (Bosporan queen), wife of Bosporan Roman Client King Tiberius Julius Cotys I *Eunice, born Heo Soo-yeon, member of Kpop girl group DIA * Eunice Alberts (1927–201 ...

;

Dhuwarrwarr Marika Dhuwarrwarr Marika (born 1946), also known as Banuminy, a female contemporary Aboriginal artist. She is a Yolngu artist and community leader from East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. She belongs to the Dhuwa moiety of the R ...

;

Malaluba Gumana Malaluba Gumana (born 1953) is an Australian Aboriginal artist from northeast Arnhem Land, who has gained prominence through her work in painting and the production of larrakitj, the memorial poles traditionally used by Yolngu people in a mortuary ...

;

Naminapu Maymuru-White Naminapu "Nami" Maymuru-White (born 1952) is a senior Yolŋu artist of North East Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is known for representing her the songlines of her clan, the Maŋgalili group, especially the stars and ...

;

Nonggirrnga Marawili Nonggirrnga Marawili (c. 1939–2023) was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker. Early life Nonggirrnga Marawili was born around 1939, the daughter of the acclaimed artist and pre-contact warrior Mundukul. Marawili was born on the beach a ...

; and

Dhambit Mununggurr Dhambit Mununggurr (born 1968) is a Yolngu artist of the Gupa-Djapu clan known for her unique ultramarine blue bark paintings inspired by natural landscapes and Yolngu stories and legends. Early life Dhambit Mununggurr was born in 1968 to ...

; and

Margaret Wirrpanda Margaret Wirrpanda (1939 – 24 February 2013) was a campaigner for Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal rights. Early life and education Margaret Briggs was born in 1939 at Cummeragunja Reserve, Cummeragunja, New South Wales, the dau ...

, were included in a December 2021 – April 2022 exhibition at the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, called ''Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala''.

Terminology

Description and uses

Exhibits

See also

References

Further reading