Mimih
Mimihs , also called Mimi , are fairy- like beings that appear in the dreamtime stories of the Aborigines of Arnhem Land in northern Australia . It is human beings who inhabit the rocks.
They are extremely thin and elongated, so there is a risk that they could break or be swept away in strong winds. That is why they spend most of their time in crevices in the rock, where they protect themselves from the wind or where the wind melts into the stone. Mimihs have human-like bodies but are smaller. In the myths of the Aborigines , the Mimihs should have told them how to hunt, kangaroo meat cooked and sparked fire. But there are also myths according to which they led hunters to their rock country and the hunters fell in love with mimihwives and never returned.
The Mimih are part of a ceremony practiced by the Kuninjku aborigines called Mamurrng, which depicts the theme of life and death. This ceremony is performed by them when Aborigines who speak other languages come to their country or after the birth of a boy.
In the art of Aboriginal rock carvings and wooden sculptures of Mimih play a certain role. Mimih figures were mainly sculpted by the Aboriginal artist Crusoe Kuningbal in the early 1970s; after his death, his son continued this art form in 3 to 4 meter high sculptures . But there are also other artists who devote themselves creatively to the Mimih theme.
In the painted works or drawings by the German sculptor and painter AR Penck , mimih-like male figures appear as line drawings .
source
- www.aiatsis.gov.au (PDF file; 113 kB)