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Yelakula (Sorcery spike)
The elongated images in this painting are yelakula, sharp spikes that are used in sorcery to pierce the necks of victims, who then sicken and die. These sticks, which are made from the wood of the Ironwood tree are also used by young men or boys in the days after their circumcision as implements with which to eat food during a time of restrictions when they are forbidden to touch food.
The Yelakula design is a Dreaming, because it is associated with the sorcery performed by Ancestral Beings in mythology. The Yelakela design is owned by two closely linked clans, An-mujalkuwa, and another clan called Jarrkala. For An-mujalkuwa, Yelakula is associated with a place called Ji-gurremangunyja near Ji-marda, and for Jarrkala with a nearby place called Mu-garlmbarl.
