Catfish crucifix

Craft

Curios and crucifixes

Carved from the skeleton of a large catfish, this crucifix reflects the deep Christianity of many of the Aboriginal people from the Forrest River and other missions of the Kimberley. The Catfish was placed on the top of meat ant beds for the ants to remove the flesh. Twelve spikes at the top represented the twelve apostles. Inside the sculpture are two bone marbles that rattle. They represent the story of the soldiers who gambled to see who would obtain Christ’s robe after his crucifixion. From the 1950s, these crucifixes were made and sold as curios to tourists and sailors as their ships arrived at the Wyndham wharf.

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Wyndham History and Museum Collection

Not forgotten – the story of Wyndham

Sitting at the confluence of five rivers on the Cambridge Gulf, lies the old town of Wyndham, the most northerly port of Western Australia. After the great cattle treks by Nat Buchanan and the Duracks...

Address:

1 MacPhee Street
Wyndham WA 6740
Australia

Tel:

0476 019 903

Email:

whs6740@yahoo.com.au

Open Hours

25 April to 30 Sept 7 days 10am - 2pm; or by collecting the key from the Police Station across the road

Return to collection to read more

Wyndham History and Museum Collection Overview

Meat Workers gloves

Meat Worker gladiators?

Chainmail gloves were all that protected the meat workers from the threat of the extremely sharp knives, used when butchering cattle. Their annual cattle head count is marked on a wooden ‘Tally board’...

Camel nose peg

A tale less told

Only a few clues remain to document the contribution of the ‘Afghan’ cameleers to the settlement of the East Kimberley. In its rough terrain, dominated by gorges, rivers and ranges, camels were used...