What is Tingari Cycle Dreaming?

Tingari Cycle Dreaming is a profound spiritual concept deeply rooted in Aboriginal Australian culture, particularly among the Western Desert peoples. This intricate belief system revolves around ancestral beings known as Tingari, who traversed vast stretches of the land during the Dreamtime, shaping its contours and establishing laws and traditions.

Tingari covers the Dreaming and its Laws for the Pintupi language group of the Central Western Desert. The Tingari is the period of Creation where the Dreamtime Ancestors traveled through the land, shaping the landscape and the natural world.

Because of the highly sacred and confidential essence of the Tingari Cycle, extensive understanding is only available to initiated men or those with the necessary levels of seniority, resulting in limited access to information for the general population.

Origin of Tingari Cycle Dreaming

In the earlier Creation period, divine creatures and forefathers traveled across the vast, barren terrain. While on their journey, they engaged in ceremonies involving music and movement, shaping the arid scenery. As the Tingari ancestors journeyed through the desert, they formed rockholes, riverbeds, hills, roundels, flora, and fauna in the natural environment.

The Tingari Ancestors stopped at designated locations during their travels, and the happenings at each spot led to the creation of the landscape's characteristics and the creatures and foliage present. The song cycles learned by initiated Pintupi elders embody the Creation events, providing the Laws and social structures traditional Pintupi people have followed.

The Tingari ancestors' creation stories have been transformed into song cycles; verbal histories containing the customary laws, traditions, and societal systems that direct Pintupi individuals, and have been transmitted from experienced elders to the next generations for many millennia.

The traditional custodians of Tingari sites can be classified into two groups: owners and managers. The owners are responsible for supervising and ensuring that all maintenance tasks and ceremonial duties of the site are completed correctly. The managers are responsible for coordinating the ceremonies to make sure all event elements are covered and the right individuals are included.

Ownership of significant Tingari locations is passed down within specific family groups based on their kinship or 'skin' affiliation. Engaging in the traditional song cycles and rituals of sacred locations guarantees the transmission of custodial responsibilities and respects the sacred ancestors, safeguarding the spiritual well-being of the Country and its Dreaming songlines.

Rise of Tingari Dreaming

The rise of painted Tingari patterns occurred at the same time as the beginning of the Western Desert modern art movement, which started in the early 1970s, particularly with the founding of the well-known Papunya Tula artists group, who began showcasing works by Pintupi artists like Ronnie Tjampajinpa and Walangkura Napananangka.

A group of nine Indigenous individuals known as the 'Pintupi Nine', who had no knowledge of European colonisation prior to emerging from the Gibson Desert in 1984, gained success as artists by depicting the Tingari Cycle in their paintings. This included the three Tjapaltjarri brothers Warlimirrnga, Walala, and Thomas Tjapaltjarri.

Depicting Tingari Dreaming Cycle

Pintupi artists depict Tingari sites and Tingari Law relevant to their land through paintings. In general, this abstract series of structures and linear formations represents the power and relationships of Tingari in relation to the artists' country. The deeper meanings of Tingari Law remain undisclosed due to its secretive and sacred nature

The Pintupi artists found distinct ways to depict sacred cultural knowledge through visual representation. They drew inspiration from intricate carvings and sand paintings depicting the legendary Tingari stories. Walala Tjapaltjarri created his artistic approach by incorporating rectangular forms that contained various symbols, serving as a repository for cultural concepts.

The geometric shapes on the canvas mirror the wide dissemination of culture throughout the entire desert region. Thomas Tjapaltjarri also utilised rectangular shapes but frequently manipulated them to have a more natural appearance by stretching and folding them to complement each other, while also changing their sizes.

Conclusion

The Pintupi artists gained acknowledgment for their abstract geometric designs that captured the essence of the ancient Tingari stories, which were central to their culture and believed to symbolise power and energy.

They depict sacred sites and laws specific to their own lands through their paintings. The Tingari Dreaming designs are known for their abstract geometric forms such as concentric circles, rectangular structures, and linear patterns, often connected with the dotting techniques common in Central and Western Desert art.

The Tingari Cycle Dreaming is a symbol of the ongoing spiritual and cultural wealth of Aboriginal Australian communities. The tradition of Tingari Dreaming is perpetuated across generations with the help of art, storytelling, and ceremony, ensuring the preservation of ancient knowledge and a deep bond with the land and ancestral roots.

To learn more about Tingari Cycle Dreaming, visit our aboriginal art gallery or contact 03 9497 5111 for more details.