Tjurunga facts for kids
A Tjurunga, also spelled Churinga or Tjuringa, is a very important object for some Aboriginal people in Central Australia, especially the Arrernte groups. These objects have deep religious meaning. Tjurunga can be used in many ways. They are part of sacred ceremonies, sometimes used as bullroarers, or featured in sacred ground paintings. They can also be part of ceremonial poles, special headgear, sacred songs, and earth mounds.
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What Tjurunga Mean
Generally, tjurunga are sacred objects made of stone or wood. They are owned by individuals or groups. Each tjurunga comes with its own stories, songs, and ceremonies. These items were found among the Arrernte, Luritja, Kaitish, Unmatjera, and Illpirra peoples.
Most tjurunga are long, polished pieces of stone or wood. Some have hair or string threaded through them. Europeans sometimes called these "bull roarers." Each tjurunga has a totem symbol on it. This totem represents the group it belongs to.
Tjurunga are considered extremely sacred. In fact, they are so special that only a few people are allowed to see them. It is even seen as disrespectful to publish pictures of them. The word "churinga" can mean "sacred" or "hidden" and "personal."
Who Owns Tjurunga?
The ownership of sacred tjurunga among the Arrernte groups was decided by a person's "conception site." This is the place where their spirit was believed to have entered their mother. Because these objects are so sacred, only a small number of people could access them.
In the early 1900s, and before, only initiated men were allowed to see or touch these sacred objects. Women and boys who had not yet been initiated were not permitted to touch or even see them up close. The tjurunga were kept away from the rest of the group. They were stored in a special, sacred place that was also off-limits to women and uninitiated males.
Some people believe that tjurunga could be owned by individuals. However, others argue that tjurunga belong to the entire clan. For example, the ceremonies linked to a specific totem belong to all members of that totem's clan. Everyone in the clan can take part in them. They are not just one person's property.
Religious Importance
In many myths, the ancestors themselves used tjurunga. They stored them as their most prized possessions. These myths show that tjurunga were believed to hold life-giving magical powers. The ancestors saw their tjurunga as part of themselves. They worried that strangers might try to steal these objects, which would be like stealing their very life force. Because of this, many legends tell stories of theft and the fierce revenge that followed.
Tjurunga were thought to have magical abilities. People would rub them on their bodies to make themselves sacred or to help heal wounds. While tjurunga were helpful to individuals, the fate of the entire clan was also connected to these items. The totem image on the tjurunga represented the whole group.
Learning enough to own a personal tjurunga was a long and difficult process. It could even be painful. The exact practices varied among different groups. Men would go through several years of training after their last initiation ceremonies.
Ceremonial Role
Tjurunga were seen as physical forms of the fertility of the great ancestor of a particular totem. It was believed that the ancestor's body changed into something that would last forever. Stone tjurunga were thought to have been made by the ancestors themselves. Wooden tjurunga were made by older men. These wooden ones were seen as symbols of the "real" tjurunga that could not be found. Even these "man-made" tjurunga were accepted as sacred objects.
A young man might receive his tjurunga-body when he was around twenty-five years old. However, he might be thirty-five or forty before he learned the most sacred songs and ceremonies connected to it. As he grew older and proved his worth, he would gain more access to the tjurunga owned by his totemic clan. Eventually, he might become a respected elder. These elders were trusted to protect the ancient traditions of the entire clan.
In the past, older men watched young men very closely. If young men were not generous to their elders, they might not be taught important ceremonies or songs. When these old men passed away, such knowledge could be lost forever.
Tjurunga and Aboriginal Art
Early artists from Papunya, like Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa and Anatjari Tjakamarra, included tjurunga in their paintings. Other early Papunya artists put the same symbols and designs found on tjurunga onto painted canvases and boards. These early paintings contained the same secret sacred knowledge as the designs on tjurunga stones.
This practice did not last long. Artists like Clifford Possum began to hide these secret sacred symbols behind layers of dots. Most of the symbols people now connect with Aboriginal art from this area, such as concentric circles, U shapes, and wavy lines, originally came from older designs found on tjurunga.
Learning About Tjurunga
Older men would carefully observe a young man's behavior. He had to show respect for his elders. He also had to listen to their advice on everything. He needed to understand the importance of silence in ceremonial matters. He could not talk about his experiences where women and children could hear. His marriage also had to follow the group's laws.
One day, the old men would call him to sit among them in a circle. They would begin to chant. One man described a past experience: The old men would hold his hand. They would sing a chant. An old man would use a sharp kangaroo bone. He would push the bone deeply under the thumbnail. This was very painful. After loosening the nail, he would use a sharp opossum tooth to tear the nail off. Blood would flow. Then they would do the same to the other thumb.
Today, things are different. The old men make it easier for young men. They no longer remove fingernails. They give the tjurunga at a much lower "cost" because young men today are not as tough to endure such pain.
Studying Tjurunga
These sacred objects were very interesting to early European anthropologists and sociologists. These scholars studied the nature of totem religion and sacred items. Researchers like Spencer, Gillen, Strehlow, Kempe, and Durkheim all studied tjurunga. Durkheim discussed tjurunga in his famous book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912). He saw the tjurunga as a perfect example of a sacred item.
