Painted ceremonial basket

Men's ceremonial baskets are the classic twined conical forms made by women from the split and dried leaves of the pandanus palm. Their conical shape represents a body form that is either painted with sacred designs or, like the one here, decorated with feathers, feathered string or string of animal fur, the string originating from that used to make sacred objects. Such baskets are distinguished by the terms 'bathi mindirr', 'bathi mindjalpi' or 'bathi giwilirr'. Despite being painted with these sacred designs and containing material embodied with ritual power, restrictions are not applied to the men's baskets being seen outside of ceremonies.

The anthropologist, Donald Thomson, who collected this basket, points out that while they are less sacred in this context, 'the slightest infringement' was looked for and resented. He defined the difference between classes of objects and broke them down into either sacred or profane. The basket here belongs to the Marrangu clan of Arnhem Land and is painted and decorated with ochre and parrot feathers.