BILLABONG COUNTRY
The roots of the lily pad can be roasted and eaten. They are found in billabongs and springs and have a beautiful flower.
114582230939
Desert Flowers
After the rain the jilji been have no good flowers, they been come after. Yellow, purple and orange, they all there.
When we go back we see red and blue and yellow and purple flowers. All the kids we name for the desert flowers.
114582230936
Martuwarra – Full Flood
The high impact that came through. The prized new bridge built in the 1970s, but all washed away in this major flood.
114582237873
MARTUWARRA
Sonia was born by a billabong at Noonkanbah community. Her parents were Walmajarri whose movements led them to live by the Fitzroy River. Sonia has lived most her life at Noonkanbah. A compulsive artist, Sonia for a long time was a teacher’s aid at the local school where she facilitated art making with the children. Illustrative of her attachment to the country where she grew up, an intimate life with the river, Sonia’s art is a saturation of river country motifs, be it parlka (barramundi), brim, tortoise, stingray, pandanus trees or the water itself. “Martuwarra is my river country; this painting is all about the Fitzroy River which flows down through Noonkanbah where I live. All kinds of fish live in the water, we catch big mob of fish here. I like Parlka (barramundi). We catch catfish and brim here too. Nganku (shark), Wirritunany (sawfish) and Stingray also live here. These fish live in these waters long after the flood has gone. Also this painting is about barramundi swimming on the surface of the water, you can also see the Wakiri (pandanus tree) and rocks all around. When the barramundi get tired they go back into the rock holes. These rock holes hold all the Parlka (barramundi) that live in the river. Kalpurtu (creator serpent-type being) also live in these rock holes and swim all around the Palma (creeks) and all around the Wakiri that grows in the river.”
114582237852
Iniyakka
Wet season with the place for Iniyakka. When we have rain come through, all those bush flowers come up. Iniyakka some in one line, three of those jila (waterholes)
114582239254
Bush Food
114582240509
Turtles
Turtle escaped from the river.
Its trying to find its way back to the salt water.
Theres the sea there and green grass. Those footprints are the turtle trying to make its way back. Yellow is the snake trying to get to the turtle.
114582240460
Gogo Station
This is about Gogo station on the old road. When I was young we were living there. We used to collect the coloured rocks from the hills, all different colours. Our mothers too and parents collected stones. We would gift it to our teachers and people as a gift from our country.
114582244392
Tali and Bush Flowers
This painting is about the tali (Sandhills) and the bush flowers that come out after the hot weather rain. It is my grandfather’s country.
114582246159
Frog Dreaming
Frog took water from the land in the dreaming.
They were living happily on this land, country. Hunting and gathering food, they were happy. They had a lot of water that country, all over. ‘Til one day the frog played a trick on the animals there.
The frog on his own. Frog thought of plan to gather all water from waterholes. From rivers, creeks, waterholes and swamps. That day animals got thirsty for water, very thirsty. Went down to the lake and when they got there they saw it was damp but no water.
“Where’s all the water from here? What happened? I wonder who took the water?” They were asking each other.
Noticed that frog wasn’t there for that meeting.
Animals look up, saw frog up on the cloud hiding away with coolamon full of water.
“He’s got all the water! What will we do with the frog?”
One said, “Lets make weapons. Boomerangs and spears.”
They all started throwing boomerangs, but they didn’t reach. They threw spears, but they didn’t reach either. Then, the brolga threw an egg with all its might up to the frog. The egg broke and all the sharp parts poked him all over. Ugly, that’s why he looks ugly.
From there he spat out the water to fill the waterholes and they were all happy to get the water back for their land.
For punishment the frog have to come out in the big monsoon time when there’s thunder. After the dreaming they all turned into proper animals.
My mum told me this story.