DN192

The title means dugong bones shaped in the form of a canoe. The shapes of the bones are also reminiscent of the shape of the animal itself. Dugong were an integral part of life throughout the Torres Strait. They were an important food source and the subject of ceremony and folk lore. Three sorcerers are depicted perched on the canoe. The sorcerers were able to ‘sing the dugongs in’ thereby making the hunter’s task easier and more productive. They were also the ones who performed rituals and ceremonies relating to the dugong.