Blog

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View Of Country

This shows the layered landscape of Alyawarr, Central Australia. Knowing your country is an important part of living in a remote community like Ampilatwatja.

Knowing when and where to go hunting and gathering, knowing where there is ‘soakage’ (where you can dig for water), travelling with family for ceremonies, and maintaining a connection with the land.

“This is my country, my view of country.”

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

 

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Kathleen Nanima Rambler – Creek Bed Running

When you fly over my country looking down after the rain you can see the river beds running like snakes slithering through the land, everything looks like patches of green with the spinifex and sacred trees, and the beautiful blue of the water refreshing the land and the dry river beds

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Michelle Pula Holmes – My Country

When I go out hunting I always like to see the colour in the trees, the light, the dark and the bush medicine plants growing on the sand hills. The colours change at sunrise and sunset. I like hunting and seeing my country.

I love to paint since childhood. My paintings show my deep love for my country and the beauty I see.

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

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Susan Ngwarraye Philomac – Spring Creek

Kwetyaylp (donkeys) and nantew (horses) would come and drink from the water at Spring Creek on my father’s country.  We would put a bucket in the sand we would filter the water so we could drink it. 

When I was young girl we would go to Canteen Creek following the track along the hills, we would hunt turkey, emus and kangaroo and we would cut the bark and collect the sap from the sugar bag trees. `

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Betty Pula Morton – My Country and Bush Medicine

I paint my country where I find bush tucker and bush medicine. I am very happy when out bush hunting and gathering, it is where I feel connected to country and culture. My inspiration is from being out on the land, especially from the hunting and gathering trips where I see the different seasonal plants, bush foods and medicines, that are producing at that time and observes the ever-changing layered landscapes, it is always changing, with the light of day and the seasons of the year.

I enjoy and understand the importance of painting bush medicine plants. They help in the healing of my people and it keeps the tradition and knowledge strong. These particular plants are very plentiful after rain and can be used for numerous conditions, such as skin irritations, flu, coughs and infections.

Bush medicine plants are used for healing on the body and for drinking. We make this by smashing the plants with a rock, we use the juice and the fibre of the plant. We collect bush medicine plants when we are out hunting, different kinds of plants grow during different seasons.

There are lots of different medicines, we know what their stories are as we learnt them from our parents and we teach these stories to our children.

The artists of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

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Alec Pula Lewis – View of Country

Alec was born at McDonald Downs Station. He grew up there with his family living traditionally on the land.  Alec did not attend school, he moved between different communities with his family. 

Knowing your country is an important part of living in a remote community like Ampilatwatja. Knowing when and where to go hunting and gathering, knowing where there is ‘soakage’ (where you can dig for water), travelling with family for ceremonies, and maintaining a connection with the land.

“This is my country, my view of country.”

The artists of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

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Kindy Kemarre Ross – Irrultja is My Country

My country is called Irrultja, it’s past the hill and the dried-up creek from here, it’s a nice place, my dad’s country too, and my Mum’s country is here in Ampilatwatja. When I go to see my country, we always go to gather bush medicine, we always climb up the hill that’s in the south, we always go there.

We like to look out over the land and there are lots of flowers and bush medicine up there. I love my countryside; I see the nice flowers and gather bush medicine for me and my family. I like to paint a mix of wildflowers and bush medicines in all my paintings because it reminds me of my favourite part of my country and when it rains the flowers come out. Yeah, my countryside.

The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

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Bush Flowers

These bush flowers grow seasonly in Alyawarr country, some of which are also used in bush medicine remedies.

When I go out hunting, I like to see all the bush flowers that are flowering and then when I come back, I paint them.

The artists of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.

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Leanne Teece – Anterrengeny – My Father’s Country

Anterrengeny is my Father’s country. I paint the country that I come from, the beautiful landscapes and the many colours as they change during the session.