Yikartu Bumba

Yikartu was born at (Lantirrpuka?) Lalipuka, north of Wirnpa in Juwaliny country. She was walking with her family from spring to spring in the hills to the north of Wirriwilki when they saw unusual tracks left by something that had travelled east. After a time they saw a vehicle and realised it had left the strange slippery marks. They approached the vehicle and met up with two Martu men and one missionary who had come from La Grange mission at Bidyadanga to look for people still living in the desert. These men gave Yikartu and her family food and fruit and said they would return. However, the men’s vehicle broke down at Tiwatiwa and they had to walk all the way back to Bidyadanga. They returned later with another vehicle to pick up Yikartu and everyone she was travelling with. Yikartu travelled to Bidyadanga where she met up with a close uncle of hers and many other Martu, Juwaliny and Mangala people. 

Yikartu lived in both Bidyadanga and Jigalong and has had four daughters. When her second husband passed away she moved to Punmu Community, to be closer to her home country.  

Yikartu often paints her husband’s country, close to Wirnpa, but also paints her mother’s, father’s and all her grandparent’s country, which is in the north of the Great Sandy Desert. Yikartu paints the jilas (waterholes) in a line that runs from Yulpu to Yimiri, Kupanykul, Kurturrara and finally to Wirnpa. Yikartu has also painted country around Lungkurangu, north of Wirnpa, which is her brother’s country.