(Ranga) Or Totemic-Emblem, Fish Tail
date: label: Accession Date
content: 2 May 1949
name: label: Donor Name
content: American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "FLAT PADDLE-LIKE CARVED PIECE OF WOOD. PAINTED WITH CROSS-HATCHED LINES OF WHITE, YELLOW, RED. RED PANEL AT FISH TAIL AND YELLOW AT OPPOSITE END. LOANED TO RENWICK 11/12/81 (FOR CELEBRATIONS EXHIBIT); RETURNED 1983. (FROM CELEBRATIONS EXHIBIT CATALOG:) 'TOTEMIC EMBLEM (RANGA), BEFORE 1948, PROBABLY YANDJINUNG PEOPLE; MILINGIMBI MISSIN STATION, ARNHEMLAND. AUSTRALIA; WOOD, PIGMENT, .5 X 23 X 2.38 (1.2 X 58.4 X 6.1). RANGA ARE TOTEMIC EMBLEMS USED TO CELEBRATE THE MYTHIC ORIGINS OF THE CLANS DURING NARRA CEREMONIES. THESE OBSERVANCES REQUIRE MANY RANGA, EACH SYMBOLIZING A DIFFERENT ANIMAL OR PLANT ASSOCIATED WITH CLAN ORIGINS AND ANCESTRY. RITUAL PROCEDURES AND SACRED SONGS ACCOMPANY EVERY STAGE IN THE MAKING OF RANGA. LATER, CLANSMEN DANCE WITH THESE EMBLEMS IN PUBLIC CEREMONIES.'"
label: Record Last Modified
content: 28 Feb 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Milingimbi Island (Yurruwi), Arnhem Land / Crocodile Islands, Northern Territory, Australia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 178294
label: USNM Number
content: E387548-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Totemic Emblem
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 58 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 6.05 cm
label: Depth - Object
content: 1.3 cm