Acrylic
on canvas
151 x 122 cm
(59.4 x 48 in)
2009
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This painting depicts the events associated with Wirrulnga, a rockhole site east of the Kiwirrkura Community in Western Australia. A group of ancestral women camped here during the time of creation (Tjukurrpa or Dreamtime) after travelling from the site of Ngaminya further west. Wirrulnga is a site that is associated with birth, and the lines adjacent to the central roundels symbolize the extended shape of a pregnant woman who gave birth at the site.
While at Wirrulnga, the women also spun hair-string to make 'nyimparra' (hair string skirts), which are worn during ceremonies. From Wirrulnga the women continued their travels north to Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay). As they travelled, they gathered large quantities of 'kumparapara' (desert raisin), which are depicted by the many small circles.