ARTIST ONCE KNOWN, A Bi-Cornual Basket or Jawun, North East Queensland

ARTIST ONCE KNOWN A Bi-Cornual Basket or Jawun, North East Queensland, early 20th century ochre on woven lawyer cane 27h x 33w x 19d cm cataloguing tag attached: J203 PROVENANCE Field-collected, Northern Queensland Private Collection, New South Wales thence by descent Private Collection, New South Wales LITERATURE Cf. For an extensive discussion of the history, construction methods and use of Queensland rainforest baskets, see Ewington, J., Working The River: Baskets Of The Rainforest The jawun, or bicornual basket, is among the most distinctive and technically accomplished forms of traditional First Nations weaving in Australia. Originating in the tropical rainforest region of North Queensland, between Cooktown and Cardwell, these remarkable baskets reflect generations of cultural knowledge. The name jawun derives from the languages of the Girramay, Jirrbal and Gulngay peoples, whose Country encompasses parts of this rainforest region. Woven from lawyer cane, a strong yet flexible climbing palm found throughout the tropical rainforest, the baskets are distinguished by their rigid, elongated bodies and two projecting horns at the base. Traditionally, jawun baskets were used for gathering, carrying and processing food, particularly in the preparation of rainforest nuts and seeds that required prolonged soaking to remove naturally occurring toxins. Filled with food and submerged in flowing creeks, the baskets could be secured between rocks or branches, their distinctive horns helping to hold them in position while water passed through the woven structure. They were also used to catch fish, freshwater shrimp and yabbies. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the profound disruption of First Nations communities through colonisation, displacement and restricted access to traditional resources contributed to a decline in the production of jawun. At the same time, examples began entering private and institutional collections, where they became recognised for their exceptional craftsmanship and distinctive sculptural qualities. Today, historic jawun are held in significant museum collections internationally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Penn Museum in Philadelphia and the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne. Within Australia, important examples are preserved in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Australian Museum and Queensland Museum. As both functional objects and remarkable works of art, jawun remain powerful expressions of the ingenuity, cultural heritage and continuing artistic traditions of the First Nations peoples of North Queensland's tropical rainforest region.

Estimación:€3,145.07

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