Painted coolamon, artist unknown
Coolamon art
Beautifully painted, this deep coolamon dish could be used for carrying kalyu (water) and mangarri (bush tucker). Placed on the head on top of a grass pad, women balanced these on their heads as they crossed their desert homelands. The motifs, in traditional ochre colours and dot-style painting, are a forerunner to the art styles and colour that were later transposed onto canvas.
