Noeli Roberts, a Pitjantjatjara artist, was born around 1945 at a rockhole called Ngurpal just inside the South Australian border. “Nyumun is my mother’s country. The other rockholes are Pulka Pulkatjarra, Kapi Wiytjarra, Kuru Ala and Mangu.” Roberts lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle in the desert with his extended family. Food was sourced through hunting and gathering. Depending on an intimate understanding of the environment and traditional skills such as crafting weapons and tracking, the men hunted malu (kangaroo), kalaya (emu), ninu (bilby) and kipara (bush turkey). From animal tracks they could determine how fast a dingo was travelling and where it paused for a moment, or if a perentie (goanna) had eggs in its belly. Sometimes Roberts’ family would walk to the mission at Warburton to trade dingo skins for flour and sugar. When Roberts was still a child his family settled at Warburton and for a while he went to school. Roberts trained as a mechanic and worked on cattle stations in Central Australia. Roberts has played a significant role in supporting cultural maintenance through the production of videos focusing on local culture and the development of local radio network through BRACS (Broadcasting for Remote Aboriginal Communities Scheme). He has been involved in the production of documentaries focusing on anangu culture, organising inma festivals and supporting new-media training programs with Ngaanyatjarra Media.
Roberts’ artwork reveals his knowledge of many of the tjukurpa connected with the western central deserts. In his paintings fields of dots represent the land from an aerial perspective and the tracks refer to various epic journeys made by beings that traversed the country in the time of Dreaming. In Wati Ngintaka Tjukurpa (Goanna Man Dreaming) the ngintaka, a large monitor lizard with big yellow spots, was camping with his wife and two sons at Atarangku. One night while he was standing near his camp he heard the faint sound of a walu (grinding stone) being used a long way away. He was curious and wanted to see the walu so he walked east for many days until he came to Tjuwa Piti where he camped. He kept travelling until he arrived at the camp where a minyma was using the walu to mill grass seed into a paste to make seed cakes. There were a lot of people there so he waited until they all went hunting, then he stole the walu. When the anangu returned and discovered that the stone was missing they were very angry. They saw the tracks and knew that the ngintaka must have stolen it. They tracked him past Artutja, Fregon and Pirripirritjarra all the way to Aaran. There they killed the ngintaka and broke his back legs and tail. His two sons saw an ominous cloud and knew that the anangu must be killing him.
- Writers:
- Knights, Mary
- Date written:
- 2006
- Last updated:
- 2011
