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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: Elaine Warnatjura Lane (Trustee)

Language: Ngaanyatjarra

Community: Papulankutja (Blackstone)

Biography:

Elaine was a bush baby, born in the traditional way, close to a rock hole. Her father was a Donegan and she is sister to Pantjiti Mary McLean. Elaine lived most of her life in Papulankutja, close to her brother Jimmy Donegan, a senior Law Man and artist. Elaine is now in aged care in Wanarn community visited regularly by her family.

Elaine remembers when walking country as a child when there were no blankets, no hospital, just ashes to keep to warm. she attended Warburton Mission school where she met her husband Paddy Lane. Later they moved to Papulankutja (Blackstone).

She first began making baskets and animal sculptures in 1995. She has always made outstanding baskets and in 1999 she first started to experiment with animal sculptures. Elaine has travelled to Perth with the touring exhibition, Manguri Weaving, opened the exhibition and gave a workshop at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

Elaine was part of the team of women from Blackstone who made the full sized grass toyota that won the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) in 2005.

Elaine used to experiment with natural bush dyes for her baskets and paints country around Blackstone, her work reflects the seasons, using the wonderful colours that surround her every day of her life. Many layers overlapping and melding together, expressing the texture and flow of the land.

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