Antara is an important women’s ceremonial site near Mimili community. Many of the senior women at Mimili Maku Arts represent Antara and its significant Maku Tjukurpa (Witchetty Grub Dreaming) in their paintings. Puna Yanima has utilised the immediacy and loose fluidity of ink to map the ngura (country) of this sacred place, marking its kapi tjukula (rock holes), apu and murpu (rocks and mountains).

“Ngayulu Antara tjukurpa walkatjunkupai, ngura maku. Ngayulu wakalpai, maku tjuta, tjukula tjuta munu apu pulka Antara-la. Ngayuku tjukurpa nyangatja. Paintangka munu kapingka tjunanyi. Art centrengka tjutangku Antara tjukurpa paint-amilapai, tjukurpa wiru, tjukurpa nyangatja nintintjaku, malatja malatja tjuta.

I paint the Antara storyline, the landscape we live within, home to the important witchetty grub ceremony. In my paintings you can see the witchetty grubs, the paths they travel, the big rocks and the rockholes that are part of this ceremony. I have been painting the Antara story for many years now. I like to use a lot of water and inks on my paintings. This is my way. There are many others in the art centre who paint this beautiful storyline of Antara, each in their own way. There is so much inspiration in the art centre and so much to teach to the future generations.”

Mimili is home to 300 Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people who have been living in the area for millennia in harmony with nature and acting as custodians of the land and the Tjukurpa (creation stories). Mimili was formerly known as Everard Park, which was a cattle station that was returned to Aboriginal ownership through the 1981 AP Lands Act. Mimili Community was incorporated as an Aboriginal Community in 1975.