Charlie Wallabi (Walapayi) Tjungurrayi
Born about 1937, died 2009
Manyjilyjarra, Kukatja language groups, Tjungurrayi skin group
Kiwirrkurra Community
Papunya Tula Artists
Walapayi is the older brother of Helicopter Tjungurrayi. He was a maparn (traditional healer) who was famous throughout the desert. He travelled widely throughout his life, living at Balgo and Papunya, and in the 1990s he returned to Kiwirrkurra with his wife, Josephine Nangala, to be closer to his Country. Walapayi passed away in 2009.
Nyaru
2007, by Charlie Wallabi Tjungurrayi
acrylic on linen, 77×51 cm
Papunya Tula Artists
National Museum of Australia
Nyaru is the artist’s Country south-west of Kiwirrkura. As a young man, Walapayi speared a drover’s camel near Wajaparni (Well 38), and was poisoned by white men in retaliation. He lived to tell the tale, but when the helicopter crew arrived at Natawalu in 1957, he was extremely wary of their food.
I said, ‘He’s probably trying to kill me’. He was just feeding me so I can eat and die and when I’m dead he’s going to put me in the waru [fire] and eat me. I watched him carefully that he chewed and swallowed. And then I gave my piece back to him to watch him eat it and make sure it was ok. I started speaking in my language saying, ‘I’m the only one bravely talking on behalf of all these people, you’re probably going to feed us all and kill us and eat us’.
