“This is my father’s story, ‘Broken law’, Malya Teamay’s. He got it from his brother, who has passed away now. It’s a sad story. First came the first white man, he sat down with all the Anangu. The Anangu were all painted up traditional way, for inma (cultural song and dance). Anangu law was strong […]
Ili Tjukurpa (Wild Fig Dreaming) has been passed down in the Riley’s family for generations. Ili Tjukurpa comes from Alison’s grandfather’s homeland in South Australia. Alison teaches her daughter Amelia Riley the family tjukurpa and togethers they both paint at Walkatjara Art. Alison’s painting tells the travels of the Seven Sisters walking to Uluru, the eldest […]
In this painting the artist, has depicted imagery of Irmangka Irmangka, a plant which has been used in traditional medicine in Anangu culture for thousands of years, and continues to be used today. Irmangka Irmangka was used traditionally to help relieve muscle soreness and the symptoms of colds and flus. It is the tiny leaf from the bush that […]
There are many types of waterholes that Anangu can use and they depend on their intimate knowledge of the environment to know where and when they will find water. Sometimes a soakage will have dried up and the women must use their digging sticks to find the water under the surface. They transport it back […]
The enduring strength of the Tjukurpa and the ancient beings’ actions that shaped the world are still palpable within the land. These ancestral beings, often transforming into the very landscapes they created, continue to influence the lives of living individuals and shape events. The most profound impact of this power along the Canning Stock Route […]
The Seven Sisters or Kungkarangkalpa Creation story is of great significance to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people. The Sisters travelled long ago through the artist’s traditional country in South Australia’s North West as well as the south west corner of the Northern Territory. Chasing after them was Wati Niru, a trickster man who wanted to court […]
‘Minyma Kuniya munu Wati Lirunnga paluru pula pikaringu. Nyangatja Tjukurpa Ulurula ngaranyi.‘ ‘Python Woman and Deadly Snake Man fought a battle. This is Creation Law at Uluru.’ Kuniya is the Woma Python snake and one of the important Creation Ancestors for Uluru. In the Tjukurpa, the beginning of time, the Kuniya people lived at the Rock […]
In this painting the artist has depicted Minyma Kutjara (two women). This is the Creation Law Story of the two women who travelled through the artist’s ancestral country on a long journey which stretches across the Central Desert of Australia. Like all the Creation Ancestors, the two women formed parts of the landscape and left […]
“Before, when we had Anangu Tours, I was walking with everyone, talking and telling the Mala Story. We would go on long walks and I would tell them about the Mala People. Then I had a stroke. I was thinking really hard in hospital that I might paint again and tell my story. Before, long […]
Nyanu Watson loves to paint Tjulpu (birds). Nyanu depicts birds found in the Pipalyatjara and Kalka area and important to local Tjukurpa dreaming. Nyanu creates stories for the characters in her work, they are families, husbands, wives and tjitji (children). As she paints she tells the stories of family life, sharing food, looking for water, […]
Here, the artist paints about pantu, or salt lakes, referring specifically to those found near Atila (Mount Connor) and Curtain Springs. It is a significant site that forms part of the Seven Sisters songline. The Sisters journeyed here from the APY lands, away from Wati Nyiru, who was pursuing the sisters with obsessive dedication. The Seven Sisters Creation Story […]
Nyangatja puli Ulurunya, nganampa ngura Tjukurpa pulka tjara. Kala painting tjuta palyalpai-amilapai Culture Centre-ngka, minga tjuta nganampa nguraku nintiringkula kulintjaku.’ ‘This is the rock known as Uluru, our home with its powerful law. We do our paintings at the Culture Centre so tourists can learn about our country, understand and respect it.’ In this painting […]
The painting you have searched is depicting tali (sand dunes); the fluid lines tell the story of the land. Tjanpi (spinifex) and green vegetation such as mangata (desert quondong) grow here. This habitat is very fragile. In the mornings you can see networks of tracks on the sand dunes. Anangu use these markings in the tali to track animals. Generally, small mammals […]
“This is a straight story, from the Tjukurpa (Creation Time), and nobody can change that story. This is about the Ngintaka.. it’s an old story, taught by my father and my grandfather.” In the Tjukurpa, the Creation Ancestors travelled the unformed land and through their everyday activities and adventures shaped its features and left behind information for humans […]
