Roley Roberts, a Pitjantjatjara tjilpi (senior man), was born around 1935 at Warlu, a rockhole west of Irrunytju. He lived a traditional life in the desert for many years and was taught traditional law, culture and tjukurpa. As Roley travelled through the country he learnt about his responsibility to look after the country, including burning off when there was too much dry grass and cleaning out and scouring the rockholes with spinifex.
To survive in the desert, knowledge of water sources was essential. The location of permanent rockholes and the places where water is likely to be found is integrated into tjukurpa. Roley learnt where and when he could find pinangu (transient pools of surface water); tjintjira (claypans); warku (rainwater collected in rocky hollows and crevices); and hidden sources such as tjurnu (soakages in dry creek beds) and yinta (wells).
With the men he learnt the tracks and habitats of different animals and how to stalk and kill malu (kangaroo), kalaya (emu), kipara (bush turkey), putji (cat) and rabbit. Few cats survive in the desert or the communities because of the camp dogs, but rabbits are plentiful and dig extensive burrows in the sandy spinifex plains.
Roley’s paintings often refer to the Kutjara Wati Tjukurpa (Two Water-snake Men Dreaming). Two water-snake men, a father and a son, travelled from rockhole to rockhole across the country. On their way to Pirulungka they turned into snakes. The son had big eyes and looked a bit strange. His father left him at a rockhole to live, but the anangu there did not want him to stay. They did not share their food, made it awkward for him to get water and were cruel to him. When the father heard how they were treating his son he was furious and went back and took the son away. The son grew up hurt, angry and wanting revenge. When he was a man he went back to the rockhole and ate all the anangu there – men, women and children – killing everybody except for one wati that was hiding behind a rock. As he crawled away towards the rockhole he was so full that he vomited blood, fat and hair. The man that was hiding speared the snake in the side and it split open. The route that the two water-snake men journeyed, and where the snake was sick and speared have become landmarks.
In Roley’s paintings the country is seething with tjukuritja beings (associated with the dreaming). Figurative elements emerge from the earth and metamorphose into the landforms evoking a sense of drama and fecundity as the epic creation narratives unfold. Intricately worked patches of colours and pattern are built up with layers of dotting in bright colours. The complex entangled imagery and vibrant field of colour gives a dynamic sense of movement.
- Writers:
- Knights, Mary
- Date written:
- 2006
- Last updated:
- 2011
