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Kulyakartu

“Kulyakartu is my ancestor ngurra (home) through my grandmother and my great-great-grandfather and grandmother. Going out on Country with Nola and Muuki and hearing their stories of Kulyakartu touched my heart — listening to them talk about travelling through Kulyakartu with their mum and dad.

It was an experience for me to see the Country for the first time and to listen to their stories about travelling through the Great Sandy Desert. When I paint about Kulyakartu, it’s like an image in my mind from when I went there. That’s what I paint — the colours and the surrounding sand dunes around Kulyakartu.

I went on a chopper with Muuki, and now I picture the landscape from the air.”
 – Jenny Butt

This artwork shares the story of Kulyakartu, a vast and peaceful area north-east of the community, on the edge of Nyangumarta and Martu Country. Kulyakartu is a place of wide open skies, long claypans, sandhills and soft grasses that come alive after rain.

Families remember camping there, visiting waterholes, looking for goanna and bush foods, watching birds, and travelling with old people who knew every dune, track and soak. The painting celebrates the beauty and calm of Kulyakartu, often shown through soft lines and dots that follow the movement of water and sand. It honours the knowledge of where to find water, how to move across Country, and the deep belonging felt when returning to ancestral places.

Through this work, the artist invites viewers to feel that stillness and connection — the strength of Country, memory and family.

Categories: Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community LaGrange Inc

Name: Jenny Butt

Language: Mangala

Biography:

Jenny Butt grew up in Bidyadanga. She now lives in Parnngurr Community in the Pilbara region with her grandparents, who are renowned artists. Jenny also paints for Martumili Artists in Newman but visits Bidyadanga from time to time. Jenny believes that keeping culture strong and passing down knowledge is essential, especially for younger generations. 

“Learning history about the community, keeping culture strong, and listening to stories from the past. It helps to learn (teach) these stories so young people know where they come from. So they know what they’re part of.”
– Jenny Butt

She imagines a future without barriers, where “everyone would be able to speak all the languages.” A key part of this vision is taking young people out on Country while Elders are still here. “I see us going out on Country while our Elders are here, before they pass on, so they can share their story and knowledge.”

Jenny recognises challenges in her community, like “kids getting in trouble and people going into town,” but she believes art can help overcome these struggles. “Taking people out bush and beach, with older people working together with younger ones and sharing stories through painting and what they see around them. Getting in touch with nature. You feel free when you’re out with nature.”

Jenny’s artistic journey has been shaped by her Elders. “I learnt from my grandmother (Nola Taylor) and grandfathers (Muuki Taylor, Wokka Taylor) by going out on Country, sharing stories, and learning from them about the bush plants and bush food. I painted before, but going to Parnngurr and being around old people really opened my mind. Seeing them painting and what colours they used. My daughter started painting with the old people too, and she watches me paint their stories now. I’d like to be an inspiration to her and young people.”
– Jenny Butt

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