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Mangala Country

“I paint Mangala because I love going there. I feel at peace and connected to the old people when I paint this Country. I like painting the flowers, the wet season and the waterholes.

My son is learning to paint. He feels real good and happy when he is painting about Country. I have three little ones and one big son. We went out to Mangala Country and camped with the family — with Jadai mob. The kids love going there. They feel at home, feel safe and at peace.”
 – Marika Jadai

This artwork honours Mangala Country and the families who carry its stories — walking, camping, hunting and gathering across desert edges, river systems and claypans. It remembers old people moving between soaks and sandhills, and later travelling to La Grange Mission (now Bidyadanga), keeping language, law and family strong.

Patterns trace tracks of animals and people; dots and lines follow water after rain; maps, camps, soaks and sandhills. The work also reflects the way caring for Country continues today — through ranger work and community leadership that bring together cultural knowledge and science to look after land and water.