Mary Roberts Nakamarra: Yalka Tjukurrpa (Bush Onion) - Murini 2016

Mary has depicted designs associated with Yalka Tjukurrpa (Bush Onion Dreaming) at Murini, West of Haasts Bluff, near Winparrku, another sacred site. The Yalka is a traditional bush food represented here by the circles with meandering lines eminating from them. The long parallel lines represent creek beds, with waterholes being the concentric circles, U shapes are the women and the short parallel lines are wana (diging sticks) and trees. Bush onions may be eaten raw or cooked after removing the hard casing. They are a small onion sedge with corms on shallow roots, the size of a small challot. The women would perform a traditional ceremony in honour of the Bush Onion where they dance and paint their breast, chest and forearms in ceremonial body designs. They also decorate their bodies with feathers and dance with ceremonial objects such as nulla nullas (ceremonial dancing baton).