Grand churinga or tjurunga

Handled during ritual dances, the churinga, a sacred and mysterious object, was not used everywhere in Australia, but over a very wide area, in the great central semi-desert region, and in the west, especially in the north-west, in the Kimberley region.
Rarer are those from the central desert, such as this example, which has retained its rare ornamentation.
Decorated with finely engraved circles and lines on one side. It is entirely covered with ochre pigment and three strips of lime. A few pigeon feathers are attached to the top with a hair cord