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Wati Kutjarra – Janet Forbes

This is the story of two powerful magicians who came to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands from far away to the west;

‘These two men are always together, always camping together. They do all sorts of tricks when they travel across the lands as they stop from place to place. When they reached ‘Wirtapi Wara’ (Long Black or Blackstone Range) they argued about which way to go around. One went around the south side and the other the north side.

At a distance it seemed they didn’t recognise each other or perhaps they were just pretending not to recognise each other! It is also said that at Papulankutja they tricked each other by changing their appearance at the same time so they had no chance to recognise each other. The name Papulankutja comes from the Ngaanyatjarra word meaning, ‘to stare without recognising each other’.

‘They usually took the form of goanna but they could turn into other animals as well. Finally, when they got to Kaltukatjara (Docker River) they had become so arrogant that without realising they walked straight into some local men’s business even though they were warned by the local women. The goanna men led themselves blindly to their fate”.

Categories: Papulankutja Artists

Name: Janet Forbes

Language: Ngaanyatjarra

Community: Papulankutja (Blackstone)

Biography:

Janet was born a bush baby in the Warburton area. Her father, Nyunma came from Tawulbalyana and was a famous traditional owner for the region around Papulankutja. Her mother, Yuminiya was from Waltjatjarra country on the other side (south) of the Blackstone Ranges.

After attending school at the Warburton mission (c1974/75) Janet moved to Norseman to attend high school where she met and married Craig Morrison.They have three children.

The Forbes family decided to return to their country in the 1980's settling in the new Papulankutja (Blackstone) which was founded by her father Fred Forbes. She had three siblings, only her sister Delma and herself remain.

Janet was a co-founder of the original Papulankutja Women’s Centre and recalls going to a meeting at Hamilton Downs in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara, Yankunyjatjara (APY) Lands to talk to government about money for the centre. In the early days she made batik cloth, just like the women at centres in  the APY Lands where it had started.

Janet learnt to make baskets from her older sister, Ruby Reid and was taught how to make punu (wooden artifacts) by her mother. Janet also makes sculptural forms from tjanpi (grass) with Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

Janet started painting in 2003 at the newly established Papulankutja Artists originally based at the Women's Centre. Her paintings often depict the nganur (Bush Turkey) story, the Papulankutja story of the two goanna men or the Kungkarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters).

She still lives in Blackstone with her husband Craig and surrounded by family. She lives just behind the art centre so is always coming in to paint her beautiful way, making all the other artists laugh by sharing stories as she works.

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