Kathleen
Petyarre
Anmatyerre (born ca. 1940)
Atnangkere, My Country, 2003
synthetic polymer
paint on canvas
121 x 121cm
PROVENANCE
Delmore Gallery, NT; accompanied by original certificate of authenticity,
cat.no. 03I007
Private Collection, Sydney
Documentation reads: In early summer the men from Aneltyere would gather to sing the song cycles that accompany the initiation of the young male initiates within the clan groups of both Aneltyere and nearby Atnangkere. Once these ceremonies are completed, certain men would travel to neighbouring country to the east to sing for rain. The tail of the monsoon from the tropical north would be felt in the humid north winds. Clouds would start to form on the horizon, and the women would do "awelye" (ceremony), where they would "sing up" those species for which they had custodial responsibilities. Everyone would then live in hopeful anticipation that all elements, both physical and spiritual, would bring most needed rain…The structure of this work shows how water accumulates at the base of sandhills where thicker groves of the Ayakere grass are formed. This grass is one of the several bush foods "sung up" in these ceremonies.