Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
359709482240302
Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
359709482240298
Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
359709482240295
Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
359709482240287
Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
359709482240283
Art Centre notes: The bag is made of natural raffia / cotton / jute. It is made using a traditional ‘one twist’ method. The dyes are commercial and colour fast.
116482240175
Early Morning Mist
The early morning mist over the water is the smoke from the breakfast fires of the Marrga, the creation spirits. According to Yindjibarndi law, in the beginning the sky was very low. When the creation spirits, Marrga, arose from the ground they raised the sky and the world out of the ocean. This creation story is called Ngurru Nyujunnggama, ‘When the World was Soft’. The Marrga gave names and form to the country and then to all the birds and animals. Finally they created the Ngaardangarli, the Aboriginal people.
116482240174
Blue Gum Tree (Ganyji )
Blue Gum Tree (Ganyji) The Blue Gum Tree, gets its name because of its bluish leaves. In Yindjibarndi language it is called Ganyji, in English, Kanji Bush (Acacia pyrifolia).This painting depicts elements of the bush – its blue leaves and yellow flowers against the red and green of the earth. When the rain comes, or when there has been a heavy dew, the Blue Gum Tree just shimmers in the light. In September, when we are looking for gum from the Blue Gum Tree, we walk through the spinifex country. We pick the gum when it is crystal coloured, and we eat it, or put it into hot water and leave it out in the sun to make it like a toffee. We call it sugar lolly.
184003584
Status: Stock
Ocean Dreaming
In the beginning, the Great Spirit of the Sea created the vast and endless ocean, a place of beauty and mystery. She painted the waters with her brush of foam and painted the sky with her brush of clouds. The waves became her canvas, and she used them to tell the stories of the Dreamtime.
The Dreamtime stories tell of the creation of the world and the adventures of the spirit beings. They are stories of magic and wonder, of love and loss, of joy and sorrow. And in my emotive abstract ocean painting, I have tried to capture the essence of these stories.
The swirling forms and vibrant colors are the spirits of the sea, dancing and singing on the waves. The brushstrokes are the trails they leave behind as they journey through the Dreamtime. And the emotions that the painting evokes are the feelings that the Great Spirit of the Sea wants to share with us, to remind us of the magic and mystery of the ocean, and of the Dreamtime stories that are told upon its waves.
111581257775
Minyarra/ Jaliirpa/ Jurnta (Bush Onion)
Minyarra (bush onion), otherwise known as jaliirpa or jurnta, are a favoured bush tucker amongst the Martu, popular for their sweet, nutty taste and for the relative ease with which they are foraged. Between January and June minyarra is typically collected in large quantities close to springs and salt lakes, and then shared and eaten over the following days. The bulbs could also be stored for up to two years. The minyarra plant is small and grass like, with edible tubers at the root. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and are harvested by first loosening the soil at their base with a pounding stone, and then pulling out the plant.
During the pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) period, Martu would traverse very large distances annually in small family groups, moving seasonally from water source to water source, and hunting and gathering bush tucker as they went. Whilst desert life has moved away from mobile hunter-gatherer subsistence throughout the course of the twentieth century, bush tucker continues to be a significant component of the modern Martu diet. Hunting and gathering bush tucker remains equally valuable as an important cultural practice that is passed on intergenerationally. Though hunting and gathering implements have been modernised, methods of harvesting, tracking and the use of fire burning to drive animals from their retreats are still commonly practiced today.