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DENIS NONA
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“MUMIIH SIKUI MIKAI”
BLUE/BLACK & SEAGRASS GREEN COLOURED ETCHING paper size: 1m.20cm x 80ccm S TOStory teller - ALEX DAWIA Artist: DENNIS NONA INDIGENOUS, TORRES STRAIT ISLAND PRINTMAKER OF QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA. |
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The etching print by Dennis Nona, well known Torres Strait Islander Artist depicts “Mumiih Sikui Mikai” which is translated in English as Chief Sikui the Healer. Sikui was the Socerer and Healer of Siuai, Southwest Bougainville. Mumih Sikui is the Grandfather of the author of this story, Alex Dawia and who has also given permission to Dennis Nona to come up with the concept of artwork. This is a collaboration work of two Melanesian cultures.
Mumih Sikui is well known in the Siuai area and has on many occasions wiped out whole villages with socerery (koono). He was very much feared by many people as well as by other socerers in the area. I remember on many occasions visiting villages and been feared by onlookers just because I was Sikui’s grandson. They feared I might poison them. I also remember on many occasions people asking me to heal them. He has passed on many of the Siuai traditional healing ways to me. He was known to have the strongest socerery. However as well as being a socerer, he was a damn good healer too. IT IS HIS HEALING POWER OR PROWESS THAT THIS ETCHING DEPICTS. As the image shows on top Sikui is sitting on a specially woven chief’s mat (rarasi) and healing a sick man poisoned by another socerer. Around his neck he is wearing pesii (traditional shell money, a currency) used for safe guard of bad spirits as well as bride price and purchasing of goods. Around both of his elbows he is wearing Siuai baskets (aruaru) and in it contains mosiih (betelnut), moko (lime), kowai (mustard seeds), herbal and medicinal healing plants roots and leaves. Sikui is chewing betelnut and herbal and medicinal plant roots and spitting out taking away bad spirits that are surrounding him and the client before he performs healing ways to the sick client. He utteres the following words when spitting out: “Go bad spirits go ! Leave the area, You have no place here Come good spirits come ! Prepare the place for the healing to take place. Go and dwell at “Runooh (hell) you bad spirit” He then calls his ancestors one by one to come and stand around him to start healing the poison man. For cultural reasons I cannot give out names of the ancestors. He makes sure all bad spirits do not hamper him from performing his healing magic. As you can see the sick client lying down has been severly sick and Sikui found snakes (poojaa), crocodiles (uraiwo), and morokin (flying fox) etc in his body and side of the stomach. The bad spirits come out in all shapes and forms. They try to hang around for instance flying around on the periphery to try and make sure the client in fact dies. BUT SIKUI THE POWERFUL MIKAI (HEALER) FOR SURE RESURRECTS THE VERY SICK FROM BEING DEATH. . |
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UNIT 8/37 MANNING STREET, SOUTH BRISBANE 4101 QLD |
© Nona 2003