Paddy Carroll Tjungarrayi

This image depicts a ‘Muliera’ men’s ceremony performed near Yuendumu. Muliera is a teaching ceremony that forms part of the initiation of young males. In this case the initiates are taught the significance and importance of the Mulyipi (sweet potato), its dreaming and its role in the desert peoples delicately balanced food chain. The concentric circles represent sites of the ceremony and the extended pink designs indicate the sweet potato plant. The dotting effect represents ‘Wamulu’, a pulp created from a small herbaceous plant that is coloured with various ochres and also plastered over the bodies of the participants in accordance with this ceremony.