ABORIGINAL DESERT ART  GALLERY

TURKEY TOLSON TJUPURRULLA

Turkey was born Ca 1942 about five miles East of Haasts Bluff.

Turkey's family had been moving between traditional country around Kintore and Hermannsburg mission, where they could collect rations of flour, tea and sugar, and after Turkey's birth they remained in the area around Haast's Bluff. Only when Papunya was being established and there was work to be had building the settlement, did the family come in from the bush. This was in 1959, which was shortly after Turkey's initiation to manhood. Turkey was employed as a laborer on construction work around the new settlement and also in the Papunya communal kitchen. Later he married and moved to an outstation west of Papunya. His first wife died, and he married again and later moved to Kintore in 1983. He now has an outstation on his traditional lands at Yuwalki, to the south east of Kintore.

Turkey Tolson was one of the youngest of the original group of artists living at Papunya in the early seventies. While some of his work is amongst the most innovative and figurative of that of all the Papunya Tula artists, he also paints in the classical, severely Pintupi style of circles and joining lines..

Collections:

Holmes a Court Foundation,
Michael Hollow Collection,
National Gallery of Victoria,
Victorian Center for Performing Arts
Art Gallery of WA,
Anthropology Museum,
Flinders University Art Museum
SA Museum,
Darwin Supreme Court.

This painting depicts designs associated with the secret-sacred Tingarri ceremonies.

This particular piece shows us the travels of two men from a place called Mt Allen to Kirwirkurra. This is a journey that is both over time as well as space. The squares show us specific events that are of spiritual importance to these men and the travel lines show the journey, as well as the fact that these places or events are of an archaic nature in that they have been experienced over many, many years.

The Tingarri stories recount the creation-time travel of a particular, important group of elders who taught ritual knowledge to initiates.

This painting depicts designs associated with the secret-sacred Tingari ceremonies.

Generally, the Tingarri are a group of mythical characters of the Dreaming, who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals, creating and shaping particular sites.

The Tingarri men are usually followed by Tingarri women and accompanied by novices and their travel and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles.

These mythologies form part of the teaching of the post initiate youths as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.

Due to the secret and sacred elements, no further information may be obtained.