Irrunytju Artists: New Paintings

Tjuruparu Watson was born c.1940 in the bush at a rockhole called Kulkutja, near Kintore. ‘Illupa is my grandfather’s country. It is a big rockhole. There are four other smaller rockholes. One my brother was born at. One my sister was born at. One my other brother was born at and one I was born at.’ He travelled as a young man to Warburton and Irrunytju with his family. Irrunytju is his mother’s country. My father’s country is Wati Kipara Tjukurrpa (bush turkey man dreaming). Wati Kipara was travelling. He was eating arnguli (wild plums) when he saw waru (fire). He stole the fire and men chased him all the way to Yipara near Yalata, SA, to get the fire back. He ran into the sea holding the fire above his head, but the men followed him into the water and got the waru and threw it everywhere.

‘My father’s country is Alpualpultjta, a rockhole near the creek at Pipalyatjarra. He travelled with his mother to Kalka, to another rockhole. This is good country near Irrunytju.’ Jean was born in the bush at Anamarapiti in 1945 the Western Desert. Her parents walked to Ernabella, where her mother passed away. Her father travelled 700km with her when she was a baby from Ernabella to Warburton, from rockhole to rockhole. Along the way women took turns to breast feed her. ‘We want to do our grandmother’s and grandfather’s country, the rockholes where they went. Where they used to go around, rockhole to rockhole to get feed. Hunt for kangaroos, emus, goannas. Long time ago when piranpa wasn’t here. They’d live with no flour, no medicines, they were strong.’

Anmanari Brown was born in the 1930s at Purpurna. This country has a big rockhole with a watersnake. As a child, before whitefellas came, she lived with her family in the desert walking through the bush. Minmya Tjuta (Seven Sisters) is a major tjurkurrpa at Irrunytju and across the desert. The seven sisters were being chased by Kulakula (Larrikin Man) called Nyiru. He wanted to take one for a wife. He tried to trick them. There are two kuniya (water snakes) nearby. The sisters did not want him, they were a bit frightened, so they hid and ran away. He tracked them and chased them right across the desert. He is still chasing them. They can still be seen today, in the sky (the Pleiades) travelling.

Roma Nyutjangka Butler was born in 1959 at Wilu rockhole, on the kanyala (euro) tjukurrpa track. She spent her early years at Ernabella mission in SA and then travelled by camel to Warburton WA where she went to school. Irrunytju is her home and her grandfather’s brother’s country. Reflecting the strong relationships between the artist, her land and culture, Roma’s work brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient visual language and tjukurrpa (dreaming stories). Roma currently works with Ngaanyatjarra Media. As well as filming documentaries of her culture, and presenting a daily radio program with her husband she continues to practice traditional cultural business, law and medicine and collect bushfoods.

‘This is minyma kutjara tjukurrpa’ (two sister dreaming) ‘This is my country. This is a special story for Irrunytju.’
This tjukurrpa tells how two sisters travelled north together. The big sister was taking the little sister to meet her family for the first time. She had been raised by others and did not want to leave them. They walked and walked and walked, stopping to do inma (sacred dancing and singing), to hunt and to sleep. They stopped at Ilkuwaratjara and cut a digging stick. That punu wood was very straight. The little sister was frightened and crying and the big sister told her stories and gave her a piggy-back to try and placate her. The journey is sometimes sung by women as they paint. Nuanced, multi-layered, and especially important for the women, some aspects of the story are only told in whispers. The places where the sisters travelled and rested can be traced through the desert, their actions often created landmarks. Near Irrunytju the sisters sat on two hills and made hair belts in preparation for important women’s business. They threw their wana (digging stick) creating the rockhole here.

Reflecting the strong relationships between the artist, her land and culture, Karrika’s work brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient visual language and tjukurrpa (dreaming stories). ‘My country is Pulpal where there is a big rockhole. Auntie heard all of the people coming chasing a malu, but it was not really a malu, it was a man dressed up as a malu. When she heard them coming auntie thumped on the ground so that they could all get to the water through a tunnel under the ground. When then went through the tunnel auntie blocked the way so that they could not get out. Men, women and children. They are still there. When I was a child we used to go in through the tunnel to get water with a firebrand to frighten them away.’ Karrika is Chair of Ngaanyatjarra Media. As well as filming documentaries of her culture and painting she continues to practice traditional cultural business, law and medicine and collect bushfoods.

Alkawari Dawson was born at Tjuntjun rockhole, near Warburton, a few hundred kilometres west of Irrunytju. ‘This is a true tjurrkurpa. Ngayuku nguru (my country) is Warburton way, near the ranges. That way. There are creeks with kapi (water), good country. Wati kalaya tjurkurrpa. Early days we walk around. Long time.’ The wati kalaya (emu man) told the minyma to go to sleep, but there was a wati liru (snake man) lurking in the night. The minyma were scared of the snake man and all the baby snakes. ‘The snakes live in the rockhole, in my mother’s country.’

Nyakul Dawson was born in the 1930s at Aaran on the Wati Ngintaka (Goanna Man) dreaming track in the Western Desert. The minyma kutjara tjukurrpa (two sister dreaming) story tells how two sisters travelled north together. The big sister was taking the little sister to meet her family for the first time. She had been raised by others and did not want to leave them. They walked and walked and walked, stopping to do inma (sacred dancing and singing), to hunt and to sleep. The older sister taught the younger sister to make manguri (head rings woven from hair, emu feathers and grass) to carry things. The little sister was frightened and crying and the big sister told her stories and gave her a piggy-back to try and placate her. At Irrana they were doing inma, they noticed some men from Docker River watching them. They quickly got up and traveled to Puntji rockhole. The places where the sisters travelled and rested can be traced through the desert, their actions often created landmarks.

Ivy Laidlaw was born in the 1940s at a rockhole called Walpapulka near Irrunytju. Her mother became too sick to care for her. She spent her childhood at the mission home in Warburton. There she went to school and worked in the bakery and clinic. She returned to live with her mother and sister at Irrunytju, her mother’s country. Ivy is a strong cultural woman who is closely involved with the art centre and teaches weaving and dying using bush plants. This painting depicts the low arid mountain ranges around Irrunytju.

Angampa was born in the 1940s, in the bush at a rockhole called Watala, south east of Irrunytju. As a child she lived in the bush. When she was a teenager she travelled to the mission settlement of Ernabella, SA. ‘In my country, and my father’s country, there is a rockhole called Umal. Kaliny-kalinypa (honey grevillea) grows there. I grew up there. It is Wati Kutjara Tjukurrpa (two men dreaming), two watersnake men.’ A father and son, turned into watersnakes. They travelled from rockhole to rockhole. The father left the son at a rockhole to live, but the people there were cruel to him. When the father heard he was angry and came back and took the son away. When the son grew up he went back and ate all the people and crawled away but he was so full that he vomited and burst.

Raymond Nelson was born in 1935. ‘This is my country, Pukara, Wati Kutjara Tjururrpa (two men dreaming). They are father and son. Wati Wanapi (watersnake men). Tjuratja Tjuta (lots of nectar) all the birds are getting lovely sweets from the plants. Ngayuku mamaku ngura (my father’s place). They travelled from rockhole to rockhole. The father left the son at a rockhole to live, but the people there were cruel to him. When the father heard he was angry and came back and took the son away. When the son grew up he went back and ate all the people and crawled away but he was so full that he vomited and burst.

Rene Nelson was born in the 1950s at a rockhole called Warlu, to the west of Irrunytju. Her family lived at Warburton Mission for a time before travelling to Areyonga, where she went to school. ‘Kapi Pirni. There are a lot of rockholes in my country. When I was little I walked in the bush with my mother and father from rockhole to rockhole. If a little rockhole got dry we would travel to one of the two main rockholes which always had water in them.’

Stuart Nelson is a young, culturally sensitive man, who started painting this year under the guidance of the older artists. He lives and works at Irrunytju. His painting reflects the close association between the artist, the landscape and his culture. Irrunytju is located at the edge of the semi-arid Gibson Desert near the tri-state border of the Northern Territory, South Australia and West Australia. Irrunytju Arts was established by the Anangu community living at Irrunytju to support cultural development as an economic initiative and to support the training of young and emerging artists.

‘My grandfather would take my father around Pirulungka. Wati Kutjara Tjukurrpa (two men dreaming). Wati wanapi (snake men).’ Reflecting the strong relationships between the artist, her land and culture, Jorna’s work brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient visual language and tjukurrpa (dreaming stories).

Tyronne Newberry is a young, culturally sensitive man, who started painting last year under the guidance of the older artists. He lives and works at Irrunytju. His painting reflects the close association between the artist, the landscape and his culture. Irrunytju is located at the edge of the semi-arid Gibson Desert near the tri-state border of the Northern Territory, South Australia and West Australia. Irrunytju Arts was established by the Anangu community living at Irrunytju to support cultural development as an economic initiative and to support the training of young and emerging artists.

Reflecting the strong relationships between the artist, his land and culture, Patju’s work brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient visual language and tjukurrpa (dreaming stories). In his life and artwork Patju Presley melds two cultures. He is fluent in both Pitjantjatjara and English, is a preacher, and continues to practice traditional cultural business, law and medicine, and hunt malu, kalaya and kipara (kangaroo, emu and bush turkey).

‘Nyumun is my mother’s country. The other rockholes are Palka Palkatjarra, Kapi Wiytjarra, Kuru Ala and Mangu’. Reflecting the strong relationships between the artist, his land and culture, Noeli’s work brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient visual language and tjukurrpa (dreaming stories). Noeli Roberts currently works with Ngaanyatjarra Media. As well as filming documentaries of his culture, he continues to practice traditional cultural business, law and medicine, and hunt malu, kalaya and kipara (kangaroo, emu and bush turkey)

Wingu Tinguma was born at Nyumun. ‘There is a big rockhole there. There is a secret story about that place.’ Wingu often paints the The Minmya Tjuta Tjurkurrpa (Seven Sisters Dreaming) a major tjurkurrpa at Irrunytju and across the desert. The seven sisters were being chased by Kulakula (Larrikin Man) called Nyiru. He wanted to take one for a wife. There are two kuniya (water snakes). He tried to trick them. The sisters did not want him, they were a bit frightened, so they hid and ran away. He tracked them and chased them right across the desert. He is still chasing them. They can still be seen today, in the sky (the Pleiades) travelling.

Heather Ungani Watson was born in 1966 along the Ngintaka (Goanna Man) dreaming track at Wanya a rockhole near Ernabella. Tjuruparu Watson was born c.1940 in the bush at a rockhole called Kulkutja, near Kintore. ‘Illupa is my grandfather’s country. It is a big rockhole. There are four other smaller rockholes. One my brother was born at. One my sister was born at. One my other brother was born at and one I was born at.’ He travelled as a young man to Warburton and Irrunytju with his family. Irrunytju is his mother’s country. My father’s country is Wati Kipara Tjukurrpa (bush turkey man dreaming). This painting shows Irrunytju rockhole, many other rockholes spread across the desert and travelling tracks.

Ngiyu Watson was born at Yampil in the 1940s. The first whitefella she saw were the miners at Blackstone, where her family would sometimes travel to get food. During the mission days she settled at Amata, SA, and got a job in the hospital. She married, had children and then returned to her homelands. ‘Kata Ala. My father’s country, my country, near Kunmanara Bore, has three big rockholes. We used to walk in the desert from rockhole to rockhole. It is a very good place. It has big sandhills. We were happy here, all the kids used to eat ili (figs). You have to dig to find the kupi (water), all the minyma know where to dig.’