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Mangala Country

“I paint Mangala Country because my family are Mangala people, and they were the last bush people to come out from the bush. This place I paint is Mangala Country, where my mum and family drank water in these places. They camped around, hunting and gathering food around this Country — Matuku and Pikarangu. That’s what inspired me to paint Country, to see Country with my old people. That’s my story.”
 – Lindsay Bal Bal

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.

Dimensions: 46 x 61cm