CCCSRI
Level 11
Timothy Cook: Kulama
The Kulama Ceremony is performed in the late wet season (March-April) when a ring appears around the moon. Kulama is a traditional initiation for young men which coincides with the harvest of a certain wild yam species. Elders of both sexes sing and dance for three days welcoming the boys into adulthood. The boy is then renamed with his true man's name.
"I will take a painting to heaven so my mother will recognise me."
Timothy Cook expresses himself through his loose and gestural designs. He paints exclusively with natural ochre and his artworks are highly saught after by major collections both nationally and internationally. Timothy won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Art Award in 2012 and has been shortlisted for many others including the Hadley Art Award in 2019.
Timothy has been creating paintings, prints and carvings at Jilamara Arts and Craft since 1999 and has represented the art centre in numerous high-profile solo and group exhibi-tions. His art is very personal to him; he likes the ‘old designs’ which he learnt from his elders. He paints dots (pwanga) as elements of his designs; dots are his ‘favourite’ due to the fact that ochre dots are applied to his face for ceremonies. The dots are applied by his bunji – a kinship relationship term which means mate, or in-law.
In the last few years Timothy has focused on the Kulama design. The Kulama ceremony is a traditional initiation for young men which coincides with the harvest of wild yam. The ceremony is performed in the late wet season (March-April) when a ring appears around Japarra (the moon). Elders of both sexes sing and dance for three days, welcoming the boys into adulthood. The boy is then renamed with his true man's name. The circles in his work symbolize the moon, yam and ritual circles of the Kulama ceremony, the “cross” reflects his spiritual life, the pwanga (dots) reflect the
japalinga (stars).
Some of Timothy’s paintings also represent Taparra the moon man, a significant figure in the Tiwi creation story.
Text supplied by Jilamara Arts & Crafts
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.