The Minyma Kutjara Arts Project is a new and exciting project initiated by the people and artists of Irrunytju.
Irrunytju,
or Wingellina Community is a small, very remote aboriginal community located
10kms from the tri-state border of WA, NT and SA. Named after the nearby
Irrunytju rockhole, this was a popular area for Anangu (people) because of the
permanent water in the foothills of the Tomkinson Range which is immediately
south of the community.
Irrunytju
was established as a community in 1975, with the first store and shed being
built from the remnants of buildings at the nearby chrysoprase mine.
There had been significant small-scale mining activity in the nearby
hills since the 1950s, including copper, nickel and chrysoprase. There is
currently exploration for nickel in the immediate surrounding area with the
possibility of development of a large-scale mine being discussed.
Irrunytju
is part of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands and is home to over 150 Anangu (people) who
speak primarily Pitjantjatjara language, with some Ngaanyatjarra people
also. It is a thriving community with its own community office, store,
school, CDEP program, hall and airstrip. It is also the home of
Ngaanyatjarra Media, the regional media organisation, that grew out of the
Irrunytju Media program.
The Minyma Kutjara Project re-establishes Irrunytju as centre
for dynamic and culturally important artwork. The Irrunytju paintings reflect
the strong relationship between the artists, their country and culture. The
artwork brings together contemporary painting techniques and media with ancient
visual language and tjukurpa (dreaming).
“Painting - is very important because it is
about the land of the oldies, they make up stories, do painting. It is very
important to them, to us, to everyone. Some are people doing their own stories
by thinking, doing the painting of the country that belongs to the oldies.
Because the oldies know the stories of the country. It is very important for
the story that they do the painting, It’s important that they think about the
country, how it is. It’s the heart of the people, it belongs to them, And the
oldies know, It’s very true. They don’t it by anybody telling them, they know.
They know the country is very important to them and to everybody.” - Karrika Belle
Davidson, Irrunytju Artist
The Story of Minyma Kutjara
Minyma
Kutjara (Two women) is one of the most important women’s creation stories of
the Western and Southern deserts and a special story for Irrunytju. It tells
the story of the difficult journey of two sisters who travelled throughout
these vast lands.
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. The little sister was frightened. She cried
and so the big sister carried her on her back and told her stories to placate
her.
The
places where the sisters travelled and
rested can be traced through the desert, their actions often created
landmarks, rock-holes and mountain ranges. 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. They travelled to
an area known as
Mantaruta, near Uluru, where they had an encounter with a curious water
snake
(wanampi). They chased him deep into the ground trying to catch him.
They
burned their body hair to attract him and hit him on the head and ran
away.
From afar they threw a traditional head ring (manguri) which also hits
him.
Then he came and in revenge hit them all over. They continued they
journey,
bleeding and hurt, but triumphant.
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