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A true story

This is a true story about a whitefella stockman from the missionary days. He was living in a tent minding his own business on Anangu land. One day three Anangu men went into the stockman’s tent and stole his flour, tea and sugar, they ran quickly away, scared they would get caught. The stockman grabbed his rifle and followed the Anangu tracks to a cave. He started to shooting into the cave and the Anangu retaliated with their spears which one pierced the stockman’s leg. Somehow the Anangu escaped, two went one way, and one went to what is now known as Amata.  The stockman found some other Anangu and they helped him with bush medicine and took him to Mimili because there was a Toyota. The Toyota took the stockman to Oodnadatta, and then he took the train to the Port Augusta hospital. In hospital, he thought about those three men stealing his stuff so he talked to the police, and they spotted the one Anangu from Amata and he got arrested and put into gaol in Port Augusta. The other two escaped and are family members of people still living in Pukatja today.

Categories: Ernabella Arts Inc.

Name: Derek Jungarrayi Thompson

Language: Pitjantjatjara

Community: Pukatja

Biography:

Derek Jungarrayi Thompson is the maternal grandson of Papunya Tula artist, Makinti Napanangka.

He came to work at Ernabella Arts in 2011 during the first men-only ceramic workshop. His figurative drawing work was already well advanced and he explained that he draws 'all the time at home.'

Derek is also an avid hunter. The translation of his drawings of the Pukatja landscape and animal life onto ceramics is quite unique and received immediate interest from collectors and curators.

In 2012 Derek undertook a residency at the Ceramic Workshop of the Australian National University, where he did pottery and printmaking. For many years his collaborative works with fellow Ernabella artist Ngunytjima Carroll were highly sought after and were selected as finalists in many awards including the NATSIAAs (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards). Ngunytjima threw tall pots onto which Derek applied his designs and drawings using the sgrafitto technique.

Derek and Ernabella artist Tjimpuna Williams were awarded an Australia Council grant in 2013 to undertake a big pot workshop in Jingdezhen, China. This body of large scale works was exhibited at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney and in Canberra as part of the Australian Ceramics Triennale. In 2017 Derek's work was exhibited at Harvey Arts in the USA.

Derek continues to be a key figure and leading artist in the ceramics studio, using clay to create beautifully detailed renditions of Country.

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