This canvas story is about minyma Tjukurrpa. Before-angka. Piti, piti, piti. Colour ngaanya, soft colour. My way. Story. Ngayuku idea, do this one here. Ngayuku idea, this one, ngayuku, kulintja. Ngayulu kulintja ngaanya, all this. Ngaanya maru purlkanya, ngayuku way. I’m always painting like that. Rockhole-angka, piti. Ngayuku ngurra, rockhole-pa, one-pa, kutju, borning place. Ngayuku borning place, Mangartatjarra. Yuwa, ngayuku ngurra. Long way, Puyurr-pa. Number one baby, ngayulu. Bush-pa born-aringu – anyway, no hospital! In the spinifex, early days no clothes. Just hold baby, and keep walking. Baby kurlunypa mantjirnu Mangartatjarra ngayuku mother-lu [Nutangka Bennett]. Mangarta, yini for quandong, you know? Lovely fruit-pa. Tjukurrpa.
This canvas is about a women’s story. From the before time. Rockhole, rockhole, rockhole. This colour here, it’s soft colour. That’s my way. My story. My idea, to do this one here. My idea, this one, my thinking. I’m thinking like this, all this. This big black part , big rockhole, that’s my way. I’m always painting like that. At the rockhole, the soakage. My place, that’s this one rockhole, my birthplace. My birthplace, called Mangarta. That’s my home. It’s a long way from here, near Puyurr. I was the oldest born child. I w as born in the bush – no hospital! In the spinifex, in the early days with no clothes. You just had to have the baby, hold it, and keep walking. My mother [Nutangka Bennett] had me as a little bab y at Mangarta rockhole. Mangarta, that’s the name for the quandong, it’s got lovely fruits. That’s Dreaming for this place.
Faith Butler was born to Nutangka Bennett and Barney Ward at a place called Mangatjatjara, close to an extremely important sacred site deep in the desert. Faith now lives in the small and remote community of Tjukurla, where she paints the stories of her country using the traditional Tjukurrpa designs passed down to her. Faith is well respected in her community as a knowledgeable Ngaanyatjarra woman. When Tjukurla was still a small outstation of Kaltukatjara, there was no infrastructure or services. The responsibility of teaching the children in daily classes was given to Faith. Faith is also a skilled basket weaver and purnu (wooden artefact) carver, and in recent years has expanded her practice to include silk painting and other textile creations.
Desert Mob is presented annually in Mparntwe | Alice Springs on Arrernte Country.
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