1. A sacred object or amulet used in Australian Aboriginal religious ceremonies and rituals, typically an oval or elongated stone or wooden board with symbolic markings.
Usage: Also spelled tjurunga or churinga.; Anthropological and ethnographic term.; From Australian Aboriginal languages, particularly Aranda.

Examples

• The museum's collection includes several churinga objects from Aboriginal communities.
• Churinga are considered sacred and are typically kept hidden from uninitiated members of the community.
• Anthropologists have studied churinga to understand Aboriginal spiritual practices and beliefs.
• The designs carved into a churinga often represent ancestral stories and songlines.
• Access to certain churinga is restricted and protected by Aboriginal law and custom.