Katjarra Butler

Katjarra Butler - 2023 - Nikini & Lokarrpara - Katjarra

2023

CAT #
Acrylic on canvas
91
55.5
cm
There are many soakages in the area surrounding Nikini. The dreaming for this place is Papa Purrtju (dogs with scabies), they are known to be local to this area. Katjarra and her family spent a lot of time living in this area. They would move on to Lokarrpara, a near-by soakage whenever the water dried up at Nikini. At Nikini is a plant called ngulanpa tjurratja. The plant has green branches and pink flowers and was found on the sandhills. Nikini is the only area where this plant was found. People made a sweet dough from this plant. It didn't require cooking and was eaten raw. This place also has a wealth of quandong trees that were always collected. Katjarra and her family would collect Tjala (honey ants) and hunt for Tinka (goanna). The plants that provided the seeds for damper grew all around this area as well. People would grind the seeds next to the waterholes and make mangarti (damper). Nikini con?nues to be a culturally strong part of yanaganu living at Tjukurla. It is situated near a place called Kurlkuta,which is the most important place throughout this area, including Tjukurla, which is a long distance away. At Nikini, Yanangu would light large fires and fill the sky with smoke. The smoke was used as a signal to the ancestral spirits that people were returning to Kurlkuta. This is an ancient ritual and all Yanangu must do this when returning to Kurlkuta. At Lokarrpara the Tjukurrpa is Malu (Kangaroo dreaming). This is described as the Tjamu-Tjamu dreaming that travels from the North near Kiwirrkurra and con?nues to the Warburton area. The kangaroo rests at Lokarrpara before continuing South. It is associated with men’s ceremonies so the information is highly restricted. Katjarra explains ‘this is for men to know only, and only they can talk about it’.
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