Tingari facts for kids

The Tingari (also called Tingarri) cycle is a huge collection of stories and journeys from Australian Aboriginal mythology. These stories are part of the Aboriginal Dreaming (called tjukurpa), which explains how the world was created and how people should live. The Tingari stories cover a massive area of the Western Desert in Australia. Many artworks from this region show places and events from the Tingari cycle.

Journeys and Stories

The Tingari Men were important ancestors who lived during the Dreaming. They traveled across huge parts of the Western Desert. As they journeyed, they performed special rituals. They also created or "opened up" the land.

Learning from the Elders

Young men who had just been initiated often traveled with the Tingari Men. The elders taught them about the laws and rituals of the region. The adventures of these Tingari groups are told in many song-myth cycles. These stories help explain today's customs in Western Desert Aboriginal life.

Secret Knowledge

Only men with a certain level of seniority in Western Desert society can know the deepest Tingari secrets. However, many stories have "public versions." These versions do not share the secret or sacred knowledge.

Major Travel Paths

In the heart of the Tingari lands, in the Gibson Desert, there are three main journey paths. One path starts west of Jupiter Well and goes east. It ends south-east of Lake Mackay. Another path goes south-west from near Kintore for about 200 kilometers. Then it turns back and finishes at Lake Macdonald. The third path runs from south to north through Docker River and Kintore.

Creating the Land

At the many places along these songlines, Tingari groups held ceremonies. They faced challenges and had adventures. As they did this, they either created or became the physical features of these places. In their myths, Tingari actions often added to or changed existing sites. They also brought back or made older local Dreamings bigger.

Stories for Survival

The spoken stories that describe these adventures have thousands of verses. They give countless details about the land. These details would help nomadic groups find their way and survive in the dry desert.

Tingari Women's Journeys

In Pintupi stories, groups of women often followed the male Tingari groups. Sometimes, children were with them. The more public women's stories are usually about gathering and preparing food from the bush.

However, other stories are about powerful ancestor women. These women were called the Kanaputa (Ganabuda) or Mungamunga. They often traveled with a Tingari ritual group. These Tingari women sometimes had young girls with them. They taught the girls about rituals. They were also often followed by (or following) groups of Tingari men. Many Kukatja stories collected at Balgo are about the Kanaputa.

Art

Tingari-related designs are used in art. These include designs for ceremonial body and ground paintings. Traditional owners usually see these designs as "dear" rather than "dangerous." This might explain why many artists have focused on Tingari in paintings. These paintings are made for public display and sale by Papunya Tula.

Art Changes for Public Display

Even so, artists usually changed or left out the more secret parts of these designs. This is especially true for newer artworks. "Classical" Tingari cycle paintings often show a network of roundels. These are concentric circles, which often mean different sites. Lines link these circles, and these lines often show travel paths.

See also

• Wati kutjara, another major song-myth cycle from the Western Desert