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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.”

Categories: Ikuntji Artists

Name: Pam Brown


Language: Luritja, Pintubi


Community: Haasts Bluff


Biography:

Pam was born in Papunya in 1960 and grew up there attending the public school. She also attended Yirrara College in Alice Springs to further her education. Pam has two sons, Douglas Sampson and Taron Sampson and one daughter Kirralyn Sampson. Pam was taught to paint by her uncle Cameron Tjapaltjarri who was an acclaimed Papunya Tula Artist and by her aunt Leonie Kamutu, who still paints for Papunya Tjupi artist. Pam used to be a Health Worker in Kintore when she had a young family. 


Pam Brown now lives and paints in Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) and is one of Ikuntji Artists rising stars. Her beautiful diamond-shaped paintings are Papa Tjukurrpa – Dog Dreaming. It is of Niyuman, east of Kintore and it is secret men’s business. This was her father’s Tjukurrpa. She participated in 2022 in a textile design workshop, during which she developed her first fabric-by-the-metre design that depicts the ceremonial body paint of the men for the Papa Tjukurrpa ceremony.


© the artist / art centre