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.
These bush flowers grow seasonally in Alyawarr country, some of which are also used in bush medicine remedies.
I have just started painting, my grandmother Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney has been teaching me, she tells me all about the bush flowers.
The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint altyerr (dreaming stories). The artists paint their country where those stories sit.
I was born in the bush at Ammaroo Station, along the Sandover. I have never seen the ocean or a big city. My mother and father were strong healthy people who taught me and my younger sister Rita the traditional way to hunt for Kangaroo, Goanna and Porcupine.
We know how to gather bush tucker (secrets of the earth) and bush medicine plants. My mother used grinding stones to make seed damper.
When I paint I think about good memories, being a young girl and walking through the land. My mother made paint from two stones and showed us ceremony painting and how to sing and dance for ceremonies. I still sing and dance and collect the bush medicines, I like to make tea from the small purple flowers of Arreth (hill fuchsia).
Painting bush medicine stories is important because it helps to maintain a strong knowledge and culture for the community.
“This is my Father’s country.
This place is our hunting place. I always go with my daughters and their children, I show them this place and teach them about the swampy country. We hunt for goannas, bush potato, bush tomato and after the big rain the bush medicine is picked and the roots are dug up to be used.
It is important as my mother taught me this and now I teach my family.”
My homeland is Tijamburra, Canteen Creek, I love that country, it is my Grandmother’s country and it is the only country that I paint. It is fresh country after the rain and it is always plentiful with bush tucker and bush medicine. There are many soakages (places to find water) and we have names for all of them. You can sit there in the shade of the big trees and I love to camp there, the little children in my family never want to leave and want to swim all day in the cool big swamps
My Great Grandmothers Country is where we go hunting. We hunt arlewatyerr (goanna) and arwengerrp(bush turkey). After the big rains we swim in the river. We look for sweet alkwarrer (bush banana), anaty (bush potato) and akarley (wild oranges).
I am inspired by the beautiful wild flowers that grow there. Being on my great grandmothers country makes me happy and content.
Walking across my land to look for bush flowers and goanna. I bring home to make medicine for my family and cook the goanna for dinner. Goanna is my favourite to eat.
Walking across my land to look for bush flowers and goanna. I bring home to make medicine for my family and cook the goanna for dinner. Goanna is my favourite to eat.
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. `
My Mother, Lilly Kemarre, taught me to paint. She likes to paint her Mother’s and Father’s country from the old days, when they used to live off of the land.
The landscape changes during the different seasons in the year. I paint the dried flowers and bushes from last season as well as the new plants that come after the rain. These plants have special meanings and uses for us. I have been taught how to read the country, and now I teach my children these skills.
Julieanne’s painting’s are inspired by her Mother’s stories of the old days, walking and living on their land, and also of her own experience of life out here in Alyawarr country.