Sam Juparulla Wickman

Sam tells the story of how Warlpiri and Arrente women will travel out into the desert country looking for bush tucker. At certain times of the year they will collect bush onions that they call Yalka. These are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals and are a valuable food source. However, when the men see that the women have found Yalka they want to know where they got them as often balls of red ochre can be found close by. The red ochre is ground and used for body paint by the men for Marlu (Red Kangaroo) Ceremony – part of the male initiation process. The white dots surrounding the red circles are the Yalka. The diagonal lines and the central roundels show the camp and the journeys of the Aboriginal people out into the country. Sam completed this painting at Art Mob’s gallery.