Tangentyere Artists

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Wardapi Jukurrpa

‘This painting is about the way women hunt Wardapi – that sand goanna. He digs holes in the dunes, makes his nest deep inside. Many of the holes all join up. Women hunt Wardapi in the dunes by digging out the holes. Sometimes cover one, and Wardapi runs out other one. Need to hunt him together. Find all the holes. Dig them at the same time. Someone going to get him that way.’

The Wardapi Jukurrpa [Varanus Gouldii Goanna] belongs to the Spencer Sisters. It comes from Yarripilangku [aka Yinyiripalangu], south-west of Yuendumu. A group of Warlpiri Karnta [women] are sitting down in a circle when a Japangardi Wati [man] from Puturlu [Mt Theo], called Wamaru came upon them. He wants to take one of them, named Yurlkurinyi, of Nungarrayi skin, which is the wrong skin for him. He takes the Nungarrayi woman up a hill, where they make love. In response, the earth on top of the hill turns to Ngunjungunju [white ochre], and yellow and red ochre. The yellow is for Karnta and the red for Wati. The ochre is used by Warlpiri people for love magic and ceremonial decoration. The Wati turns all the Karnta and himself into Wardapi, aka Varanus Gouldii goannas. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi /Jungarrayi subsections, and the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections of Puturlu. The women are often represented by ‘U’ shapes. Concentric circles may illustrate Wardapi holes, or their droppings left behind them, and Wardapi tracks are usually represented by ‘W’ shapes and wavy lines.

Dimensions: 385 x 1190 mm

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Women Digging for Honey Ants

Women planning their dig for Honey Ants. Honey Ants hang from the ceiling of chambers their family dig out of the earth. The tunnels into the chambers are long and complex. That means the Honey Ants have to be tracked, and then the women use informed guesswork based on experience to decide where to dig. The process can take hours of very hard work, but the ladies are always completely rewarded when they find those delicious ants whose abdomens are full of sweet honey. 

Dimensions: 305 x 610 mm

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Pura

Pura. We call him Pura. Bush Tomato (Solanum chippendalei) you call him. Got lot of little black seed… got to dig him out and throw away. Rubbish one, that seed. We use punu, a little tool from wood. He is called Karriti.

Dimensions: 665 x 660 mm

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Wardapi Jukurrpa

‘This painting is about the way women hunt Wardapi – that sand goanna. He digs holes in the dunes, makes his nest deep inside. Many of the holes all join up. Women hunt Wardapi in the dunes by digging out the holes. Sometimes cover one, and Wardapi runs out other one. Need to hunt him together. Find all the holes. Dig them at the same time. Someone going to get him that way.’

The Wardapi Jukurrpa [Varanus Gouldii Goanna] belongs to the Spencer Sisters. It comes from Yarripilangku [aka Yinyiripalangu], south-west of Yuendumu. A group of Warlpiri Karnta [women] are sitting down in a circle when a Japangardi Wati [man] from Puturlu [Mt Theo], called Wamaru came upon them. He wants to take one of them, named Yurlkurinyi, of Nungarrayi skin, which is the wrong skin for him. He takes the Nungarrayi woman up a hill, where they make love. In response, the earth on top of the hill turns to Ngunjungunju [white ochre], and yellow and red ochre. The yellow is for Karnta and the red for Wati. The ochre is used by Warlpiri people for love magic and ceremonial decoration. The Wati turns all the Karnta and himself into Wardapi, aka Varanus Gouldii goannas. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi /Jungarrayi subsections, and the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections of Puturlu. The women are often represented by ‘U’ shapes. Concentric circles may illustrate Wardapi holes, or their droppings left behind them, and Wardapi tracks are usually represented by ‘W’ shapes and wavy lines.

Dimensions: 565 x 565 mm

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Wardapi Jukurrpa

‘This painting is about the way women hunt Wardapi – that sand goanna. He digs holes in the dunes, makes his nest deep inside. Many of the holes all join up. Women hunt Wardapi in the dunes by digging out the holes. Sometimes cover one, and Wardapi runs out other one. Need to hunt him together. Find all the holes. Dig them at the same time. Someone going to get him that way.’

The Wardapi Jukurrpa [Varanus Gouldii Goanna] belongs to the Spencer Sisters. It comes from Yarripilangku [aka Yinyiripalangu], south-west of Yuendumu. A group of Warlpiri Karnta [women] are sitting down in a circle when a Japangardi Wati [man] from Puturlu [Mt Theo], called Wamaru came upon them. He wants to take one of them, named Yurlkurinyi, of Nungarrayi skin, which is the wrong skin for him. He takes the Nungarrayi woman up a hill, where they make love. In response, the earth on top of the hill turns to Ngunjungunju [white ochre], and yellow and red ochre. The yellow is for Karnta and the red for Wati. The ochre is used by Warlpiri people for love magic and ceremonial decoration. The Wati turns all the Karnta and himself into Wardapi, aka Varanus Gouldii goannas. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi /Jungarrayi subsections, and the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections of Puturlu. The women are often represented by ‘U’ shapes. Concentric circles may illustrate Wardapi holes, or their droppings left behind them, and Wardapi tracks are usually represented by ‘W’ shapes and wavy lines.

Dimensions: 565 x 565 mm

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Wardapi Jukurrpa

‘This painting is about the way women hunt Wardapi – that sand goanna. He digs holes in the dunes, makes his nest deep inside. Many of the holes all join up. Women hunt Wardapi in the dunes by digging out the holes. Sometimes cover one, and Wardapi runs out other one. Need to hunt him together. Find all the holes. Dig them at the same time. Someone going to get him that way.’

The Wardapi Jukurrpa [Varanus Gouldii Goanna] belongs to the Spencer Sisters. It comes from Yarripilangku [aka Yinyiripalangu], south-west of Yuendumu. A group of Warlpiri Karnta [women] are sitting down in a circle when a Japangardi Wati [man] from Puturlu [Mt Theo], called Wamaru came upon them. He wants to take one of them, named Yurlkurinyi, of Nungarrayi skin, which is the wrong skin for him. He takes the Nungarrayi woman up a hill, where they make love. In response, the earth on top of the hill turns to Ngunjungunju [white ochre], and yellow and red ochre. The yellow is for Karnta and the red for Wati. The ochre is used by Warlpiri people for love magic and ceremonial decoration. The Wati turns all the Karnta and himself into Wardapi, aka Varanus Gouldii goannas. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi /Jungarrayi subsections, and the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections of Puturlu. The women are often represented by ‘U’ shapes. Concentric circles may illustrate Wardapi holes, or their droppings left behind them, and Wardapi tracks are usually represented by ‘W’ shapes and wavy lines.

Dimensions: 565 x 565 mm

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Tali (Sandhill) – Rosequinne ‘Oki’ Nuggett ;-

Tali (Sandhills) at Mutijulu. my Grandfather’s country is Mutijulu, community close to Uluru, where I have painted these Tali (Sandhills). Tali is everywhere around there, vibrant orange and red. Lots of native flowers growing on the Tali.

Dimensions: 560 x 560 mm

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Women Digging for Witchetty

Women planning their dig for Witchetty Grubs. They live in the roots of specific trees, and after it rains, they move up the chambers in which they live, to avoid drowning. Digging can be slow and complex. Women check the base of trees to see if there is any cracking on the upper root bases. The cracking is a way of telling if there might be witchetty living in that root. The process can take hours of very hard work, but the ladies are always completely rewarded when they find those witchetty grubs. 

Dimensions: 555 x 555 mm

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Kapi Dreaming

This painting is Kapi (waterhole) dreaming. All the women looking around for water, rainy time, looking for rock holes. Sometimes they digging for water in the creeks. Water running down, they make a road. Rainy time, we go out swimming and hunting kangaroo too. In this painting the women are depicted by the U shape and their digging stick is placed beside them. the concentric circles represent a rock hole or waterhole. 

Dimensions: 555 x 560 mm

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Women Digging for Witchetty

Women planning their dig for Witchetty Grubs. They live in the roots of specific trees, and after it rains, they move up the chambers in which they live, to avoid drowning. Digging can be slow and complex. Women check the base of trees to see if there is any cracking on the upper root bases. The cracking is a way of telling if there might be witchetty living in that root. The process can take hours of very hard work, but the ladies are always completely rewarded when they find those witchetty grubs. 

Dimensions: 555 x 560 mm