The oval or lance-shaped churingas are ceremonial wooden boards that are the source of chants and commentaries during rituals. They are adorned on one side with ornamental patterns – the lines mostly mark the Dreaming trails and the circles the sites or waterholes of the Dreamtime spirits. Each clan is responsible for a certain territory from a particular part of its Dreamtime spirit’s journeys. It is the duty of each group to care for these verses of the myth, the spiritual places and the churingas that capture in images these places and paths. These sites are also protected by ghosts and demons that can inflict illness upon, or even kill, intruders from foreign clans.

It has, however, to great astonishment been proven that the carved paths and sites on the churingas not only reflect another mythical world but also correspond on a smaller scale with the real environment. The songs learnt by heart equip Aboriginal Australians with information to find their way around their territory and find waterholes in inhospitable regions. This vital knowledge was passed down from one generation to the next over thousands of years. The churingas sole purpose was magical ritual and for this reason they were never allowed to be seen by women or uninitiated men.