Joy Pitjara
Joy Pitjara was born in Boundary Bore, Utopia and is the daughter of the well-known artist Glory Ngarla (deceased) and the sister to the renowned Anna Price Petyarre. Growing up within a family of esteemed artists, Joy acquired early skills in batik from her mother, subsequently transitioning to painting on canvas using acrylic paints. Through an intricate dotting technique and subtle colour shades, Joy portrays narratives such as the Bush Tobacco Plant and Yam Dreamings.
The focal point of Joy's artistic endeavours often revolves around the depictions of leaves Indigenous to her homeland, utilized for diverse medicinal purposes. Notably, she recurrently features "Bush Yam Leaves" and "Bush Medicine," eloquently capturing the flowing representations of the leaves. In alignment with the customary style of Utopian artists, Joy's work exudes an appreciation for the utilization of colour.
About the Story
The ceremonial reverence for the Bush Yam is prevalent in Central Australia, signifying the cultural importance attributed to this indigenous food and acknowledging its ceremonial significance. In the context of large congregations for ceremonial and legal proceedings in the desert regions, the scarcity of sufficient sustenance emerges as a pivotal concern.
The Dreaming or Jukurrpa Stories concerning the Bush Yam often underscore its role in fostering abundance and emphasize the traditional responsibility of equitably sharing food resources. An illustration of this is found in the Warlpiri Creation narrative originating from the Yumurrpa site, situated north of Yuendumu on the fringes of the Tanami Desert in Central Australia. Here, ancestral contention transpired between the custodians of the Yarla (large Bush Yam) and the lineage of the smaller Wapirti white Yam. In commemorating this ancestral conflict, the custodians uphold the ceremonies, thereby encapsulating the ancestral teachings of equitable food distribution as a deterrent against societal discord.
Artistic representations often portray the sprawling vine-like foliage of the Yarla plant with an intricate network originating from the tuberous roots of the Bush Yam, using hues reflecting the different seasonal transitions, including yellows, oranges, reds, greens, and an array of other vibrant and contrasting colours. Furthermore, the narrative finds representation in the Utopia Homelands of Central Australia, where artists such as Emily Kngwarreye, Galya Pwerle, and Gloria Petyarre, among others, artistically showcase the ceremonial ties of the Anmatyerre people to the Yam as a source of sustenance in the desert. Their depictions of the Yam Seed and Yam Flower encapsulate the themes of fertility intrinsic to the Yam plant, reinforcing the ceremonial representation of celebrating and fostering the abundance of the Yam.
