Mulyamiji
“Mangkarr (greater bilby), nurta (desert bandicoot), winyminji (quoll): those three animals, we protect them now. The old people use to eat the animals and we’re working with the KJ [Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa] ranger mob to protect them. Mangkarr is taller than nurta. This one [nurta] is stumpy like a guinea pig. Winyminji is the same size as a cat. It’s like a cat.”
– Carol Williams
Mankarr (greater bilby) is an omnivorous desert-dwelling mammal found in a range of arid habitats across northwestern and central Australia, including rocky soils, shrublands, woodlands and spinifex regions. Its fur is usually grey or white, and it has a long, sharp nose and long pinkish ears. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s, and while the greater bilby has survived, it remains a threatened species.
Nurta (desert bandicoot) was a bandicoot found in the central and western desserts up until 2016. It is now considered to be extinct. Small in size, the nurta had a long and narrow head which aided its investigation of the sand while digging. The nurta featured orange-brown fur on its back, with a white underbelly and one or two dark bands on the hindquarters. The decline and extinction of the desert bandicoot is attributed to a range of factors including predation by cats and foxes, and habitat destruction due to the combined impact of introduced exotic herbivores and to the cessation through large areas of culturally historical fire burning land management practices.
Winyminji (quolls) are carnivorous marsupials also native to Australia. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. They have brown or black fur and pink noses. Largely solitary, they come together for social interactions such as mating, which occurs during the winter season. The quolls’ diet includes smaller mammals, small birds, lizards, and insects.
Since European colonisation of Australia, all species depicted in this work have experienced a significant decline in number. One species, the eastern quoll, became extinct in the 1960s. As described by Carol, the preservation and conservation of the mangkarr and winyminji are managed as part of the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa ranger program.
