Joel Sam

Thulup au thoner (stingray season)

55
votes

Joel Sam

Thulup au thoner (stingray season)

Edition: 35
Medium: Linocut
Size: 154 x 54
Year: 2008
Price: $ NFS
NFS

My artwork and images are based on my culture and heritage, which are derived from the sea. As a Torres Strait Islander from the Sui-Baidam (Shark) clan of Saibai Island, we rely on the sea and its inhabitants for food, economically and spiritually.

Thulup (stingray) are a delicate food source to Islanders. The Thulup is a significant identity to Islanders as a totem in which Islanders identify as belonging to the clan group.

This particular print describes the cycle of the Thulup which appears at the start of the turtle mating season (Solwal) around September. When Solwal is over, the Thulup makes itself obscure by sinking and burying itself in sand, causing dust and ripples in the sand. It camouflages itself from other predators until the next Solwal – it’s a cycle repeated!

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