Woomera

Albert Namatjira led an extraordinary life and his influence and impact on not only Australian Aboriginal art but the Aboriginal community and their standing within Australia as citizens with rights to vote and more cannot be overstated.  

Albert was born and raised in the Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission, 126kms southwest of Alice springs, and the European influence of the missionaries can be seen in Albert's work with his education being of a relatively high quality and his access to more modern artistic materials being linked to that association.

Woomeras such as this were used as tools to make spears easier to throw, making them more accurate and increasing the distance that they can be hurled.  Many ancient civilisations developed this tool, and while there is some disagreement on the age of the technology woomeras have been a part of aboriginal culture for anywhere between 5,000-approximately 40,000 years as 'Mungo Man' - the oldest human remains found in Australia exhibit evidence of the wommera usage in the elbow joint.

Albert is known for painting on such artefacts, and this is a great example of that work.  This woomera comes in a boxed frame to both protect the artefact and make it easier to display.  This wommera is in excellent condition and the colours of the paint are still vibrant, and the protective lacquer retains its shine.

Dimensions: 82 x 33cm