June 2025

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Kakalyalya Tjukurrpa – White Cocky Dreaming

In the artist’s words: This is the story in my father’s country of Pirrupa Kaala. It is the story of the white cocky (circle middle on top) with mako (witchetty grubs) in its mouth. The eagle (left bottom) brought malo (kangaroo) meat (circle left top) for the white cocky as she had a broken wing. But a crow (circle right side bottom) chased the white cocky all over the country because the white cocky had such a big mob of mako. The crow started to hit the white cocky with a nulla nulla and called her greedy. The eagle helped the cocky and chased the crow away. So it happend that the eagle came to stay with white cocky for a little while. But on day he said: ”Oh, I am going home to find another place to stay”, and left the white cocky behind to stay there by herself for good.

The blue colour shows the tracks from the water running into the deep water holes in the sand after the rain. The red colour shows the little mountains where the water comes from and goes into the creek flowing south.

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Yalka at Karinyarra

This is the story of the Napaltjarri women digging for yalka (bush onion) in Karinyarra (Mount Wedge) country. Karinyarra is a two-hour drive from Haasts Bluff and is the country of Japaltjarri men and Napaltjiarri women. The circle shapes depict the women digging for bush onion, the hills are the curved lines and the rivers are the lines. There are camels walking around in this country. Bush onion is used for eating and for making a drinking bush medicine. There is bush onion growing all year round, one can find them around the rockholes. The yalka is harvested by using a stick and digging it into the ground to make it soft, then the yalka can be taken out by hand.

“This is my grandfather’s Dreaming. He is my mother’s father and this Dreaming is from her line. Here, women are digging for bush onion around the river in Karinyarra – north of Papunya. The lines in my paintings show the rivers. The circular shapes are the woman digging for the bush onion around the rockholes.”

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Little Boy – My Dog

“I did a drawing of my dog. He’s called Little Boy. He follows my everywhere and looks after me.”

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Bushflowers in the wind

Kathy paints the bushflowers in her grandmother’s country and how the wind creates whirly whirlies. The whirly whirly takes the bushflowers and branches and they move around.

Kathy remembers seeing this with her grandmother and how she told her: that wind will always take you home. You don’t have to be afraid.

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Piparr Tjukurrpa

Lucinda depicts her maternal grandfather’s country in the Great Sandy Desert between the communities of Kiwirrkurra and Balgo. This area is characterised by extensive sand dunes interspersed with rockholes and caves and is dangerous country to travel across during the hot Outback summer. In the cooler winter months however, it is good country for hunting bush turkey and echidna.

Lucinda paints the story of the Piparr Waterhole in this area. In the Dreamtime, there was a big fire at this place. Two men were running away from the fire and fell on their knees. The impressions formed by their knees created the rockholes in the earth. Now, fresh cool water can be found by digging in the rockhole even in the hot season. The round central motif indicates the shape of the Piparr rockhole, while the hypnotic swirling lines surrounding it are the sand dunes which surround the oasis.

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Bushflowers in the wind

Kathy paints the bushflowers in her grandmother’s country and how the wind creates whirly whirlies. The whirly whirly takes the bushflowers and branches and they move around.

Kathy remembers seeing this with her grandmother and how she told her: that wind will always take you home. You don’t have to be afraid.

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Bushflowers in the wind

Kathy paints the bushflowers in her grandmother’s country and how the wind creates whirly whirlies. The whirly whirly takes the bushflowers and branches and they move around.

Kathy remembers seeing this with her grandmother and how she told her: that wind will always take you home. You don’t have to be afraid.

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Yalka at Karrkurutinytja (Bush onion Dreaming at Lake Macdonald)

Daphne was passed down the right to paint the Yalka Tjukurrpa at Karrkurutinytja (Bush onion dreaming at Lake Macdonald) from her grandmother, Narputta Nangala Jugadai. Narputta, who was a founding member of Ikuntji art centre and a prolific painter, was born close to this sight.

 

Daphne says,

 

 “My grandmother, Narputta used to make that painting. She told me that story. I used to work here (Ikuntji Women’s Centre) as a cook. I came to learn here. I saw my grandma painting. I learnt from her. She told me that story…Yalka…Bush food…For a long time those old ladies have been looking for Yalka, digging for Yalka, taking the fruit, cooking it in the fire. We cook them just a little bit, like Maku (witchetty grub). I have been looking for that Yalka with my grandmother.”

 

Yalka Tjukurrpa, as told by Narputta,

 

“Creek bed at Karrkurutinytja. Two old women, two Nungurrayi, came across from Pulpa and started Gathering bush  onions, putting them into coolamons. They went on a journey west. They approached a group of men and watched them, whilst hiding in the bushed at Pimarrpa (Soakage near Kiwirrkura). There was another lady, Alkiljarra Nakamarra, who came along on their tracks. She saw them where they had gathered bush onions. She became upset that they’d gathered them all up and there were none left. The Nakamarra started walking and came across the creek, where she started collecing mungilpa (a staple seed food for the Pintupi people).  She came across two Tjangalas (Mungilnga and Tiwilgna). Next to them was a rockhole and Atjakalya Nakamarra, who was making damper for them. Mungilnga had the smaller damper. The two Tjangalas ate their damper then she flew off and became a rock there at Kurultu.”

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Bushflowers in the wind

Kathy paints the bushflowers in her grandmother’s country and how the wind creates whirly whirlies. The whirly whirly takes the bushflowers and branches and they move around.

Kathy remembers seeing this with her grandmother and how she told her: that wind will always take you home. You don’t have to be afraid.

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Piparr Tjukurrpa

Lucinda depicts her maternal grandfather’s country in the Great Sandy Desert between the communities of Kiwirrkurra and Balgo. This area is characterised by extensive sand dunes interspersed with rockholes and caves and is dangerous country to travel across during the hot Outback summer. In the cooler winter months however, it is good country for hunting bush turkey and echidna.

Lucinda paints the story of the Piparr Waterhole in this area. In the Dreamtime, there was a big fire at this place. Two men were running away from the fire and fell on their knees. The impressions formed by their knees created the rockholes in the earth. Now, fresh cool water can be found by digging in the rockhole even in the hot season. The round central motif indicates the shape of the Piparr rockhole, while the hypnotic swirling lines surrounding it are the sand dunes which surround the oasis.