Awelye for Sugarbag

Jessie Hunter Petyarre

Jessie’s paints represents awelye (women’s ceremony and body paint designs) for sugarbag. Sugarbag is bush honey of Australian native bees. Bush honey can be found in the trees in her country.

The linear designs in this painting represent awelye. These designs are painted onto the chest, breasts, arms and thighs. Powders ground from ochre (clays), charcoal and ash are used as body paint and applied with a flat stick with soft padding. The women, who are represented by ‘U’ shaped motifs, sing the songs associated with their awelye as each woman takes her turn to be ‘painted-up’. Concentric circles represent the site where the awelye is being performed.

Jessie also paints the flowers, leaves and seeds (dot work) of the tree.