TJUNGU PALYA
Tjungu Palya represents artists from the homeland settlements of Nyapari, Kanpi and Watarru, located in the far north-west corner of South Australia close to the Western Australian and Northern Territory borders. It is home to the Anangu (Aboriginal people), speakers of the Pitjantjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra languages.
As children, the now senior Tjungu Palya artists lived a traditional nomadic life travelling in small family groups. Their traditional lifestyle continued until the 1930s, when desert people were migrated to Ernabella and Warburton missions, initially as a result of the assimilation policy of the day but also due to terrible drought and the atomic testing at Maralinga. The desire to return to their own country remained critical to the community elders throughout this time, and by the 1960s families began returning to their lands and establishing small remote settlements. In spite of the interruption, the extreme remoteness of this area and the continued connection to the land has contributed to the maintenance of an Aboriginal lifestyle rich in ceremonies and traditional observances. The remoteness also meant that established art support was not readily available until recently; the art cooperative of Tjungu Palya was initiated in 2005 to support the art making of the communities and provide the artists with access to sales and exhibition opportunities, with materials delivered by a Toyota troop carrier full of art supplies.
Tjungu Palya artists have powerful spiritual links to their country, and produce paintings that are exuberant and highly individual compositions depicting their myth cycles embedded in the topography of the land.
Senior artists of the Tjungu Palya community include
Jimmy Baker