BUGAI WHYOULTER

Bugai is a Kartujarra woman and a senior custodian of the lands surrounding Kunawarritji (Canning Stock Route Well 33) She was born in the 1940s at Pukayiyirna, on present day Balfour Downs Station, though her parents soon travelled northward with her through Jigalong and Nullagine toward Kunawarritji

She grew up, walked and hunted with her parents, younger sister Pinyirr Nancy Patterson (dec.), and extended family, primarily travelling around the eastern side of the Karlamily (Rudall River) region and along the midsection of the Canning Stock Route, from Kartarru (Canning Stock Route Well 24) to Kunawarritji (Canning Stock Route Well 33)

As a young woman Bugai travelled up and down large tracts of the 1850km long Canning Stock Route, where she and her husband met and walked with cattle drovers

Bugai is considered one of most established Martumili Artists, and is known as a master of colour, gesture and subtlety Her self reflective works are layered with distinctively delicate brushmarks, with subtle colour changes representing landmarks, water sources, and desert flora

Bugai's work was selected for the 2019, 2018 and 2013 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, the 2012 Bankwest Contemporary Art Prize and Hedland Art Award, and the 2010 Western Australian Indigenous Art Award. Bugai won the General Painting’ award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2021

She has held regular solo exhibitions, and her work has been acquired by several major institutions in Australia, including The National Museum of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and Queensland Art Gallery’s Gallery of Modern Art

This is Bugai’s Country her ‘ ngurra ’ Bugai’s ngurra encompasses the Country that she and her family walked in the pujiman (traditional, desert-dwelling) era At this time Bugai travelled nomadically with her own and other family groups, most notably the Bidu family The Country they traversed encompassed an enormous tract of land , with an aerial distance of more than 600 kilometres , from present day Balfour Downs Station to Kunawarritji (Canning Stock Route Well 33)

I learnt how to paint in Kunawarritji; I’ve been painting here. I go to Punmu , Jigalong and Parnngurr, but I always go home to Kunawarritji. I learnt how to paint in Kunawarritji.

[When I was young] I was walking around Kunawarritji and Kun Kun , looking for meat with Jakayu and her family.

Kunawarritji is an important site in the Great Sandy Desert where multiple stories and histories intersect. Bugai grew up, walked and hunted primarily around Punmu , Kunawarritji and Kun Kun

Wantili which forms the focus of much of Bugais work , is a large round jurnu (soak) and linyji (claypan) near Well 25 on the Canning Stock Route

Culturally, Wantili is an incredibly important site , "where the creation started" (cit Cyril Whyoulter, Bugai's grandson) In this creation story the world was initially dark and people were like rocks , with no arms or legs Following the sun ’ s first rising, life-forms become increasingly complex while particular features in the land are created Beyond these details much of the Jukurrpa narrative relating to Wantili is ngurlu (sacred, taboo), and only for Martu , but the site is open, and anyone can go there

Wantili is especially significant to Bugai as it was here that she saw whitefellas for the first time; drovers with their cattle travelling along the Canning Stock Route

Wantili is also one of the many sites featured in the epic Minyipuru (Jakulyukulyu, Seven Sisters) Jukurrpa story

I was just becoming a teenager, still travelling around with my mother and father. We were at Juntu-juntu, Wuranu , Raarki , Tiwa and Wantili. At Wantili we killed a cow , they were bringing cattle through from Kunawarritji … Wantili was a good place to make yakapiri (woven bark sandals).

We were climbing Parnngurr hill; we were frightened. Kartiya (Europeans) would walk around , trying to catch Martu people. We would run up the hill and hide. We watched them catch people. We were eating flour that white people gave us. It was horrible. From [Parnngurr rockhole], we got in the truck and went with the white people to Jigalong. Kumpaya [Girgirba], Jakayu [Biljabu] and Ngamaru [Bidu]—we were all on top of the hill looking at the white people.

Parnngurr rockhole is located just south of Parnngurr Aboriginal community This site lies within Bugai’s ngurra Parnngurr and its surrounds are physically dominated by distinctively red tali (sandhills), covered sparingly with spinifex and low lying shrub

For many Martu including Bugai Parnngurr also signifies the location at which their nomadic bush life came to an end Poignantly described by Bugai, it was here that a group of 29 Martu were picked up by the Native Welfare Department to be taken to Jigalong Mission in 1963 Collectively the group had come to the decision to move to the mission as a result of an extended drought which had caused a scarcity in food and water resources The group also wanted to join their families , who had already moved to Jigalong

Parnngurr is also an important site for the epic Jukurrpa (Dreaming) story of the jakulyukulyu, or Minyipuru Seven Sisters)