Kalpa, a place of great cultural significance, is also referred to as Well 24 on the Canning Stock Route. As a young man, the artist travelled extensively throughout the desert and up and down the Stock Route. This country is his family’s country, where they would stay for periods of time because they could hunt there and there was good, permanent kapi (water).
Name: Peter Yanjimi Rowlands
Language: Manyjilyjarra
Community: Parnngurr
Biography:
Yanjami is a Manyjilyjarra and Kartujarra man, born in the mid 1940s at Kaalpa (Kalypa, Canning Stock Route Well 23). His Jukurrpa (Dreaming) is associated with the Minyipuru (Jakulyukulyu, Seven Sisters) story for this site. Yanjimi’s mother’s Country lies around the Kumpupirntily (Kumpupintily, Lake Disappointment) area, and his father’s in the area surrounding Wirnpa in the Percival Lakes region.
When Yanjimi was still very young and following the death of his grandmother, his family moved in from the desert and went to live at Jigalong Mission. He went to school at Jigalong, Nullagine and Marble Bar, and met his wife and fellow Martumili Artist Ngarga Thelma Judson in Jigalong. After finishing school, Yanjami worked on several stations around Meekatharra and trained racehorses at Milly Milly Station near Geraldton. He returned to Jigalong with his wife to raise their children until they were school aged. The family relocated to Parnngurr Aboriginal Community during the 1980s ‘Return to Country’ movement. Today Yanjimi and Ngarga live between Newman, Port Hedland, and Parrngurr.
Yanjami paints his ngurra (home Country, camp), the areas surrounding Kumpupirntily and south of Kaalpa. His work has been exhibited widely across Australia.
Wantili (Warntili, Canning Stock Route Well 25) “Wantili (Warntili, Canning Stock Route Well 25) area, close to Parnngurr. My ngurra (home Country, camp), my jamu’s (grandfather’s) Country, my father’s daddy, Jakayu [Biljabu’s] daddy and my Read more…
Waterhole This work depicts a waterhole within the artists’ ngurra (home Country, camp), typically represented with circular forms. Waterholes are sites that require maintenance, including digging to increase flow, clearing out surrounding growth, and cleaning Read more…
Ngurra (home Country, camp): Bidu “It’s their home for them, real ngurra (home Country, camp). Real ngurra is where they been born and grow up.” – Corban Clause Williams The Western Desert term ‘ngurra’ is Read more…