REV-27

Roxanne Newberry

Matumili Artists

Title: Ngurra (home Country, camp)

Acrylic on canvas: 91.5 x 59.8 x 2.4cm

Ngurra (home Country, camp) is a very special Country where we grew up. We go mostly out on Country and camp out. We go swimming and looking for honey on the trees. We would hunt turkey, emu, kangaroo, and look for bardi (witchetty grub), honey ants and yellow berries. It’s an outstation. We call it home. We grew up there. Good memories of that place.  
 
The Western Desert term ngurra is hugely versatile in application. Broadly denoting birthplace and belonging, ngurra can refer to a body of water, a camp site, a large area of Country, or even a modern house. People identify with their ngurra in terms of specific rights and responsibilities, and the possession of intimate knowledge of the physical and cultural properties of one’s Country. This knowledge is traditionally passed intergenerationally through family connections.