In September, when we are looking for gum from the Blue Gum Tree, we walk through the spinifex country. We pick the gum when it is crystal colour, and we eat it, or put it into hot water to make it like a toffee. We call it sugar lolly.
This is the Fortescue Mulla Mulla or ‘Gumbarli’ in Yindjibarndi language. The flower is a purplish colour. It’s not a bush medicine, just a flower that grows in the country, in lines along the roads and everywhere. In this painting, the seeds of the Mulla Mulla are all blowing out. Once the leaves and petals have fallen off, the seeds are blown all through the land to bring flowers again the next year.
This is water flowing through the river from the fresh rains. *on stretched circular canvas.
In Yindjibarndi country there are many different shaped rock formations. It looks like a truck has tipped a huge pile of rocks. At different times of the day, especially in the evening sunset, you will see the beautiful colours changing across the face of the rocks which compliments the soft spinifex growing through the country.
A place where the Tamis tree is and from that spot you can go look at the reef where it’s deep and we catch fish there off the rocks. Beautiful colorus that can can look at from far away and then it changes as you go close to look.
Our spiritual serpent lay resting in the Fortescue River with its secret bird. It prefer no noise when entering the Fortescue River because it will get very angry and send lightening and rain and strong wind to send you on your way home from there.
We don’t use didgeridoo or tapping sticks in Western Australia. We use boomerang for singing, culture and music. This is the lore ground where we site around the circle and sing songs. This happens in summe time. It lasts for one or two months depending how many boys we get to go bush.
