Maku inmaku pakani

Kunmanara (Ngupulya) Pumani was a senior Pitjantjatjara artist from Mimili in the Southern Desert region. She was part of a renowned artistic family, with her mother, Kunmanara (Milatjari) Pumani, and her sister, Betty Kuntiwa Pumani both recognised painters. Kumanara Pumani began painting in 2009 and worked through the Mimili Maku Arts Centre. Pumani was recognised for her commitment to Pitjantjatjara law and culture and her works are imbued with the cultural knowledge and artistic skill that come from a lifetime of learning.

In ‘Maku inmaku pakani’ 2012 Pumani offers an exquisite depiction of the Maku (witchetty grub) tjukurpa at Antara. This site is dominated by two rock holes which women care for and celebrate in song and dance when they are full of rainwater. Also important at the site are the plentiful Maku, which are dug up from beneath the witchetty bush and roasted on coals. The red granite boulders that distinguish this landscape are prominent in the work and surround the waterholes and complex web of tjukurpa trails connected to them. The work celebrates the cultural activity of women at Antara and their ongoing role in caring for country.