18 AM 8071/11
Tjayanka Woods The Seven Sisters - Kurngkaarakalpa 2011
Acrylic on Belgian linen 1000 x 750mm SOLD
Tjayanka Woods, a senior Pitjantjatjara artist, was born around 1935, near Kalaya Pirti (Emu Water) near Mimili and
Wataru, South Australia, As a child she lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle in the bush with her parents, frequently camping at
Kalaya Pirti where they would hunt ngintaka (goanna), tinka (lizards), kalaya (emu) and gather bushfoods such as
kampurarpa (desert raisin), ili (figs) and maku (wood grubs).
Tjayanka refers to the Minyma Kutjara (Two Women) and the Kurngkaarrakalpa Tjurkurpa (Seven Sisters) in her
paintings. They are structured like mud-maps, tracing the journey of the sisters around the perimeter of the canvas showing
the rock-holes and land formations created by the sisters as they walked through the country together. Incorporated into the
paintings is the flight of the eagle, her grandfather, who flies above the path of the sisters. "This is my father's country close
up to Irrunytju. The sisters were travelling through this country. My grandfather, he is this eagle in my painting. You can see
where he flew, she will tell you.