Tjawa Tjawa
Etching 59.5 x 39.5 cm Numbered 9/40 Bai Bai has depicted some of her parents country. This country is known as Tjawa (Pt. Moody), and is south of Balgo in the Great Sandy Desert. The central circle depicts a large swamp found in this country, and it is a place women travel to and collect the seeds found here. The many parallel lines depict the tali (sand hills) that dominate this country. Bai Bai is a senior Law woman of Balgo. Her country extends from Mangkayi in the Stansmore Ranges, to just south of Yagga Yagga. She spent her youth and early adult years travelling through her family's country, learning traditional law and culture. Bai Bai has also travelled further afield, and in 1989 she danced at the Shinju Matsuri Festival in Perth. Bai Bai began painting in 1986 in Balgo, and has since been involved in several publications, including 'Yarrtji: Six women's stories from the Great Sandy Desert' - Aboriginal Studies Press: Canberra, 1997 - which was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's History Awards in 1998. Bai Bai is a long serving member of the Kimberley Land Council and a strong practitoner of women's law and culture in Balgo. Bai Bai was married to the late Sunfly Tjampitjin. (Warlayirti Artists)
Item #3119
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