Grandfather’s Country, 2023
$300.00
The traditional lands of the Martu people encompass the Great Sandy Desert and Rudall River regions of Western Australia, an enormous tract dominated by distinctive red tuwa (sandhills). These sandhills present an unforgiving landscape; sparse vegetation covers a seemingly never ending expanse of dunes, and yet these lands and the location of resources within them was known intimately by its pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) inhabitants. At this time, Martu traversed very large distances annually in small family groups, moving from water source to water source through the harsh desert landscape with incredible stamina and resourcefulness. Travel was often undertaken at night, and when travelling during the day, Martu wore jakipiri (woven bark sandals) to protect their feet from the hot desert sand.
This work depicts a waterhole within the artists’ ngurra (home Country, camp), typically represented with circular forms. Waterholes are sites that require maintenance, including digging to increase flow, clearing out surrounding growth, and cleaning up after sullying by camels or cattle.
During the pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) period, knowledge of water sources was critical for survival, and today Martu Country is still defined in terms of the location and type of water. Each of the hundreds of claypans, rockholes, waterholes, soaks and springs found in the Martu desert homelands is known through real life experience and the recounting of Jukurrpa (Dreaming) narratives by name, location, quality and seasonal availability. This encyclopedic knowledge extends even to the nature and movement of arterial waterways, and sustained Martu as they travelled across their Country, hunting and gathering, visiting family, and fulfilling ceremonial obligations. They would traverse very large distances annually, visiting specific areas in the dry and wet season depending on the availability of water and the corresponding cycles of plant and animal life on which hunting and gathering bush tucker was reliant.
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- Tarnanthi Art fair & Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation takes no responsibility for the negotiation, coordination or distribution of freight and shipping of purchases made at the 2023 online Tarnanthi Art fair. Items customers wish to purchase may require an additional quote from the Art Centre/Vendor for freight which will be charged separately.
- Shipping and freight costs are not included in the advertised purchase price unless this is stipulated at the point of purchase of the item by the Art Centre/Vendor.
- If shipping and freight costs are not stipulated at point of purchase, all shipping and freight costs must be arranged directly with the Art Centre/Vendor from where the purchase was made.
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