Shire of East Pilbara (Martumili Artists)

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Kurta-Kurta (Camel Rock) “This is daddy’s ngurra (home Country, camp), mummy’s ngurra.” – Bugai Whyoulter Kurta-kurta is a claypan and soak located north of Parnngurr Aboriginal community, and at the heart of the Karlamilyi River (Rudall River) region. This site lies within Bugai’s ngurra (home Country, camp) through her mother and Read more…

Kaalpa (Kalypa, Canning Stock Route Well 23 “From Tiwa (Canning Stock Route Well 26) we used to travel to Kaalpa (Kalypa, Canning Stock Route Well 23), mummy and daddy used to take us around there, [my sister] Pinyirr and me. From Kaalpa we would go to Jilkupuka (Canning Stock Route Read more…

Bush tucker and wild flower “I make a painting and it’s a wild bush flower, desert flower! And bush tucker. I do painting for bush tucker and wild flower.” – Danita Wise Depicted in this work are traditional types of bush tucker, their floral habitats, and their related hunting and Read more…

Waterholes “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 see Read more…

Bush tucker and wild flower “I make a painting and it’s a wild bush flower, desert flower! And bush tucker. I do painting for bush tucker and wild flower.” – Danita Wise Depicted in this work are traditional types of bush tucker, their floral habitats, and their related hunting and Read more…

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…