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Birriliburu (Pirrilipuru)- Miriam Atkins
Birriliburu is Miriam’s family’s ngurra (home Country, camp), at the southern end of Martu Country and incorporating Wells 1 to 9 of the Canning Stock Route. Birriliburu lies at the intersection of the Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts of Western Australia, and is characterised largely by the red sand dunes and rocky outcrops typical of the Gibson Desert region. In the south-western corner of Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area are the Blue Hills and Katjarra (Carnarvon Range) mountain ranges, distinctive from a distance for their blue hue. Other areas of cultural significance in the area are Milyinirri (Pierre Springs, Canning Stock Route Well 6) and Palatji (Palarji, Weld Springs, Canning Stock Route Well 9).
Spinifex, desert oak and acacia species are found in this region, along with edible plant species including yuwinyji (woolly-butt grass), karlkula (bush banana), jawirli (quandong), kulyu (bush potato), wamurla (bush tomato), and pipijarli (pencil shaped potato).
The Western Desert term ‘ngurra’ is hugely versatile in application. Broadly denoting birthplace and belonging, ngurra can refer to a body of water, a camp site, a large area of Country, or even a modern house. People identify with their ngurra in terms of specific rights and responsibilities, and the possession of intimate knowledge of the physical and cultural properties of one’s Country. This knowledge is traditionally passed intergenerationally through family connections. Painting ngurra, and in so doing sharing the Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories and physical characteristics of that place, has today become an important means of cultural maintenance. Physical maintenance of one’s ngurra, like cultural maintenance, ensures a site’s wellbeing, and is a responsibility of the people belonging to that area.
