Paniny Mick
Rocket Bore, near Mulga Park Northern Territory, Australia, b. Born in 1939
Mamu
Acrylic on paper
140cm x 65cm x 4.5cm
Paniny Mick's depiction of Mamu, part of a pair of works on paper. The Mamu are night dwellers and are especially feared as they are always on the look out...
Paniny Mick's depiction of Mamu, part of a pair of works on paper. The Mamu are night dwellers and are especially feared as they are always on the look out for the Kurunpa (spirits) of children who have left their sleeping bodies, heedless of the dangers and go frolicking among the gum trees. If caught, the childs spirit is eaten. The women say that the good spirits will help to keep away the evil Mamu, looking after their relatives and children.