What is Minyma Malilu Tjukurpa? | Aboriginal Art Explained
Minyma Malilu Tjukurpa is a Pitjantjatjara women's story from Kanpi in the APY Lands of South Australia. Minyma means women, and Malilu is the name of the ancestral woman at the centre of the story.
The Story
In the version shared publicly by the artists who paint it, Malilu is an elderly ancestral woman who travelled across Country searching for her daughter, who had run away with the wrong man according to the kinship laws that govern who may marry whom. When Malilu found them, she dug out a cave so she could stay close and keep watch over her daughter.
The cave is near Kanpi and holds a permanent supply of water. Malilu lived there until her death, surviving on the bush foods of the surrounding Country. The senior women who paint the story describe it as a big story for the women of Kanpi.
Like all Tjukurpa, Minyma Malilu is more than a narrative. It carries law, knowledge of Country and responsibility for the places it describes. Paintings show only the parts of a story that can be shared publicly.
A Family Story
The story is held within particular families, and the right to paint it is passed down through them. Teresa Baker Tunkin, a Pitjantjatjara artist from Kanpi born in 1977 in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), paints Malilu as a women's travelling story named for her ancestor. Her mother, Kay Baker, is the current custodian of the story, with Teresa next in line. Teresa learned to paint alongside her mother and her grandfather, the late Jimmy Baker, and her daughter Clarise Tunkin now paints the story too.
Teresa describes the minyma travelling from east to west, collecting food along the way, until they reach the cave where Malilu lives. You can read more in our interview with Teresa Baker.
Carolanne Ken, a Pitjantjatjara artist from Kaltjiti (Fregon), also paints Minyma Malilu. Her version of the story came to her through her maternal grandmother.
The Paintings
Paintings of Minyma Malilu map the story across Country. Large roundels often represent the cave, with paths and arcs leading to and radiating from it. Artists may also show the waterways that pass through the cave and the bush foods Malilu lived on. Colour is the artist's own choice and is not fixed by the story.
Artists title these works in slightly different ways, including Minyma Malilu, Minma Malilu, Malilu and Minyma Malilu-nya. We keep each artist's own title.
To learn more, read our guides to the Dreaming and APY Lands Aboriginal art.
Browse Minyma Malilu paintings by Teresa Baker, Kay Baker, Clarise Tunkin and Carolanne Ken, or explore our full APY Lands collection.
Art by Farquhar is a member of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia.