A decade of friendship with the Warlpiri community of Lajamanu in the Northern Tanami desert, has yielded literally thousands of photographs and a book. Scroll down for images from The Lumen Seed. 

I am deeply indebted to my Warlpiri friends for accepting me into their community, introducing me to hunting and ceremony, taking me to ancestral sites, teaching me Warlpiri language (which I am getting better at speaking), and encouraging me to go in search of my own Aboriginal heritage.

Here is a gallery of photographs from Lajamanu community and two Warlpiri ancestral sites in the Northern Tanami and Northern Great Sandy Deserts, N.T. Australia (scanned 35mm negatives).

Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – this gallery contains images of people who have passed away (Kumanjayi), with permission from their families.

Lucy, one of the youngest custodians of Henry’s sacred country at Dead Bullock Soak, and keeper of the Battle of the Possum Men story. The Granites, Tanami Desert 2017

Biddy ‘Short Skirt’ and Judy, taking a break on the fire fields, before resuming their hunt for goanna and black-headed python. It is 46 degrees today and the desert is still smouldering with hunting fires. It’s easy to accidentally step into the burning roots of spinifex grass. Biddy and Judy walk for about 12km carrying crowbars and axes – and return with a sand goanna.

Excerpts from The Lumen Seed, (New York: Daylight Books, 2017)