Basket
- Gallery: Room 24
- Date: 1913 (before)
- Object type: basket
- Materials: eucalyptus bark (Darwin stringybark [Eucalyptus tetrodonta]?); ochre; cane; abrus seed (Abrus precatorius); resin
- Museum number: Oc1913,-.145
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a basket called a "tunga," made by the Tiwi people from the Tiwi Islands. This elegant piece is crafted from folded eucalyptus bark, cane fiber, abrus seeds, and resin, with striking red, white, and yellow pigments applied by hand. The natural materials and vivid colors reflect traditional practices passed down for generations. Tiwi artists create these baskets as part of meaningful funerary ceremonies called Pukumani, which honor the deceased. These baskets are used to carry food offerings, and after the ceremony, they are overturned onto painted poles called tutini. Over time, the baskets and poles weather, standing as lasting memorials. While traditional in origin, contemporary tunga are often made for sale today, blending ancestral design with new interpretations. The intricate patterns and deep cultural significance make this piece a remarkable work of art and tradition.
See it in person
Basket is on display in Room 24 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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