- Title: Karkuran Purika (laying eggs)
- Artist: Billy Missi
- Region: Torres Strait Islands
- Art Centre: Northsite Contemporary Arts(Cairns)
- Medium: Linocut
- Collection:
- Dimensions: 35x28cm
- Edition Size: 50
- Price ($AUD): $ 350.00
Artwork Story
This image expresses one of the natural activities that happen during certain phases of the moon on uninhabited little isles around our homeland, Maluilgal (Western Torres Strait) waterway. Hawks beak turtles crawl up on the beaches during the night to make their nest and lay eggs, so that they are not seen by other predators. They usually lay under shady trees so their nest can stay cool throughout the warm sunny days. However, early in the mornings, goannas and snakes smell the turtle-making activity and are not far from curiously finding new scents of the animal food chain.
Sometimes, goannas will go into the turtle nests and drink all the eggs before local hunters can find them to dig out. Local hunters usually look to gather turtle eggs during transition between Islands.
Turtle eggs are one of the many delicacies for Islanders to indulge in.
© Djumbunji Press, KickArts, Cairns