Ladies digging honey ants This work portrays an area known to the artist, painted here from memory. During the pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) era one’s survival depended on their intimate knowledge of the location of resources; thus physical elements of Country, such as sources of kapi (water), tali (sandhills), and Read more…
Falling leaves “When Martu paint, it’s like a map. Martu draw story on the ground and on the canvas, and all the circle and line there are the hunting areas and different waters and tracks where people used to walk, and [some you] can’t cross, like boundaries. So nowadays you Read more…
Rockholes and Tali (Sandhills) The traditional lands of the Martu people encompass the Great Sandy Desert and Rudall River regions of Western Australia, an enormous tract dominated by distinctive red tali, or tuwa (sandhills). These sandhills present an unforgiving landscape; sparse vegetation covers a seemingly never ending expanse of dunes, Read more…
Untitled “This is my Country. My little brother was born here in pujiman (traditional, desert-dwelling) times. I was a big girl, no man yet. We were walking a long way.” – Nyanjilpayi (Ngarnjapayi) Nancy Chapman “When I was born my spirit appeared at Jarntinti. That’s my Country, Jarntinti. I Read more…
Karlajarntu Karlajarntu is a claypan and yinta (permanent spring) located northwest of Nyayartakujarra (Ngayarta Kujarra, Lake Dora), in Warnman Country. Various types of bush tucker grow abundantly in the area northwest of the spring, including wamurla (bush tomatoes), minyarra (bush onions), and yuwinyji (Woollybutt Grass). The site is also known Read more…
Jarntinti “I, me, Nyanjilpayi paint this one, Jarntinti Lake. I been born there, mine. I been little girl born there, Jarntinti area. Jarntinti big claypan near Punmu. Tarlpa, Jutupa, Wawulpa, all waterhole and yinta (permanent spring) in Jarntinti area. Long time [ago] plenty bush tucker there, yukuri (green grass, vegetation) Read more…
Untitled “This is my Country. My little brother was born here in pujiman (traditional, desert-dwelling) times. I was a big girl, no man yet. We were walking a long way.” – Nyanjilpayi (Ngarnjapayi) Nancy Chapman “When I was born my spirit appeared at Jarntinti. That’s my Country, Jarntinti. I Read more…
Yarnkarl Yarnkarl is a claypan, creek and soak at the southern end of Nyayartakujarra (Lake Dora). This site lies within Nyanjilpayi’s ngurra (home Country, camp), the area which she knew intimately and travelled extensively with her family in her youth. Yarnkarl, like many of the fresh water sources in the Read more…
Untitled “This is my Country. My little brother was born here in pujiman (traditional, desert-dwelling) times. I was a big girl, no man yet. We were walking a long way.” – Nyanjilpayi (Ngarnjapayi) Nancy Chapman “When I was born my spirit appeared at Jarntinti. That’s my Country, Jarntinti. I Read more…
Kulyakartu “My Country, Kulyakartu. I grew up there, from little boy to big boy grew up there.” – Muuki Taylor This painting depicts Kulyakartu, Muuki’s ngurra (home Country, camp). Kulyakartu is located in the far north of the Martu homelands, near the Percival Lakes region of Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert. Read more…