Nath

Size: 38.5cm x 28.5cm

Medium: Lino Print

Category: Art Prints / Etchings

$215.00 (Incl GST)

Nath (Dugong Platform) In our ancestor and forefather times, the nath (dugong platform) was used to spear dugong by the dugong hunter. The nath was built on the water edge at low tide by the hunter after he had walked along the dried up dugong eating area, in search of evidence of where the dugong was eating previously. The hunter looked for trails of the eating patterns of the dugongs the night before or earlier that day during the high tide. After identifying the area where the dugong had fed, the hunter would erect the nath on the very spot for he knew the dugong would return to the same spot to feed again. The dugong feeds on shallow sea grass on incoming and outgoing tides. The hunter knows where he is to build the nath because he has the traditional hunting knowledge which was passed down to him by the elders. As the tide drew in, the hunter mounted the nath and stood on it waiting for the dugong to return to the feeding ground to feed again. Patience and discipline was very important but the catch was worth it. One dugong could feed the whole village and was essential for feasting. When a returning dugong was sighted, the hunter would have a shot with the wap (traditional harpoon). In the print under the nath (dugong platform) the hunter hangs his lucky charm in the shape of a dugong to attract his prey. On the nath the hunter has with him the equipment used to catch the dugong, a bundle of ropes attached to a dart which is inserted in a hole on the tip of the wap.