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Published by CompNet Systems on

Wati kutjara – The goanna men

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’.

Categories: Papulankutja Artists

Name: Prudence Scott

Language: Ngaanyatjarra

Community: Mantamaru (Jameson)

Biography:

Watching Prudence paint is like listening to stories from long ago. Her narrative-rich and figurative works are charming and intriguing. They denote the stories that Prudence has listened to over the years from elders and community. She now shares these through her art and brings to life the characters and settings with strong painterly work. Common stories you will see surround the two boys who turned into the large proud Rocks that now look over Blackstone, the night sky and the sand hills, the hunters and the deep rock holes frequented by community.

She is a strong and beautiful woman who works with the kids from Jameson community running hip hop and dance classes. Her work is equally as strong and carries with it invaluable cultural stories from her mothers and fathers land. 

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