MULYATINGKI (MULJADINGI) MARNEY - NGURRA (HOME COUNTRY, CAMP)

MULYATINGKI (MULJADINGI) MARNEY 
NGURRA (HOME COUNTRY, CAMP),  2023
Acrylic on Canvas
30.5 x 45.5 cm
 
REGION
Punmu, WA
 
PROVENANCE
 Spinifex Hill Studio, WA, Cat No; 23-121
 
STORY
A person’s ‘ngurra’ is the area where they were born or belong, and can denote a camp site, body of water or even a large area of Country. The term is closely connected to rights and responsibilities associated with the use, knowledge, and maintenance of one’s Country, as passed on through family.
 
Here, ngurra is expressed in the artist’s knowledge of a specific area; place is described through jukurrpa (dreamtime) narratives, personal memories, physical conditions, food and medicinal resources, and the cultural activities that occur at the site. Painting ngurra is today considered an important means of cultural maintenance, equally as important as the physical management of land through water, animal, and plant preservation.