- Title: Ngintaka Tjukurpa 2 (Perentie Man Creation Story)
- Artist: Mary Katatjuku Pan
- Region: South Australia
- Art Centre: Tjala Arts
- Medium: Punugraph
- Collection: Tjala Arts Punugraphs
- Dimensions: 92 x 58 cm
- Edition Size: 10
- Price ($AUD): $ 600.00
Artwork Story
This embossed woodcut print is from a series of ‘punugraphs’ made by artists at Tjala Arts in central Australia during a workshop with Basil Hall Editions. The woodblocks were made by burning designs onto pine plywood sheets with hot wire pokers. This is a traditional method used to create designs on punu (wooden carvings).
About the image
Once the women of the Mann Rangers had only rough grinding stones so their grass seed cakes were course and hard to eat. Their men looked everywhere for better stones but without success. One day when Ngintaka the Perentie Man was out hunting he ventured into the country of the Nginjuri (Black Lizard) people. While he was there he heard a woman grinding seed for the evening meal. He realised that only a smooth grinding stone could make that particular sound, so he decided to steal the stone and bring it back to his people.
After taking the stone Ngintaka made footprints in all directions to trick the Nginjuri people, he then swallowed the stone for safekeeping and changed himself into a small lizard. As a final precaution as he neared home, Ngintaka made heavy rain with his ringili (pearl shell) to wash away his tracks.
When Ngintaka reached the camp everyone sang his praises. However the Nginjuri people searched hard and finally found his footprints in a patch of wet ground. They followed him to the camp, destroyed the grinding stone and killed Ngintaka with their spears.
Amata is an Aboriginal community situated in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunyjatjara Lands (APY) in the far Northwest of South Australia. Amata is situated amongst the picturesque Musgrave Ranges, approximately 120km south of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and 500km southwest of Alice Springs. © Tjala Arts 2006