Tanami Desert Photographs

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.

 

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

LS 51 Molly Napurrula TasmanLS 46 Lily & Molly copyDW1 (1)LS 42 Jerry Jangala PatrickLS 38 Kangaroo ceremony copyLS 34 Henry and Jerry Jangala Patrick copyLS 33 Dreaming tracksLS 32 Beth Nungarrayi PatrickLS 21 Sonya Napaljarri Cooke copyLS 15 Neil Jupurrurla Cook (Verity La)LS 40 Kurlpurlunu copyLajamanu girlLS 43 Three Warlpiri Drawings copyTanami trackWolfe Creek CraterLajamanu treesLily at CatfishLily at Catfish WaterholeRosy & the Flame Tree SeedpodsLily at CatfishHenry dancing at Emu RockholeLikatiyaWanta Jampijinpa Pawu-Kurlpurlurnuwomen painting for ceremonyLajamanu kidsTabra's puppySacred object #1Lily Nungarrayi Yirringali Jurrah-HargravesTabra with duck, dogs and walking stickTrampoline kidsLajamanu treesBorn a skaterWarlpiri familyLS 19 imaginary emu copywebsite 6

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