Kalti paarti carving (also known as emu egg carving) is an art form made by carving a ''kalthi-parti'', or

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

egg. The practice began in the mid to late nineteenth century and while it has been practiced by people in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

from many backgrounds, it is often strongly associated with Aboriginal art.

History

The art of kalti paarti carving was popularized in the mid to late nineteenth century. Some of the earliest carvers were not strictly Aboriginal and these carvers created very decorative and complicated designs that were popular at the time. The art was continued by Aboriginal artists from south-east Australia and the Carnarvon region, especially after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. As Aboriginal people of Australia sought out a sense of identity, these artists became to use symbols based on traditional markings and designs. Artists like Bluey Roberts, Badger Bates and Adrian Morten created these types of designs. Esther Kirby and Barry Belotti went on to create realistic carvings that "critique

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

incursion." Various designs of kalti paarti carving can indicate where the egg was carved. Silhouettes that create a visual narrative are more indicative of Paakantiji carvers while

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

artists more often create realistic images on one or two parts of the egg.

Technique

Since 1983, the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has ordered that all

eggs must come from farmed emus. Carvers who wish to collect eggs must have a license. Eggs are pierced at both ends and the shells are evacuated. The eggs are carved using various types of tools to create different effects. These can be sharp, like

scalpel A scalpel, lancet, or bistoury is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, podiatry and various arts and crafts (either called a hobby knife or an X-acto knife.). Scalpels may be single-use disposa ...

s or

knives A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

, or abrasive, such as emery boards.

References

External links

Baranjuk: Emu Egg Carving
(video and webpage) {{Authority control Folk art Australian Aboriginal art Eggs in culture Emus