26-71 – Marissa Riley

“That’s all the old nannas – Aba is nanna, and gantharri is granddaughter [in Wajarri]. My family, we’ve always been a tribe driven by women.

This one is about singing and dance, connection from my grandmother to me. Teaching about song and dance. One hand is mine, and one is my daughter’s. It’s representing connection from one generation to the next, for our land and our culture.

My nan used to say, ‘Too much women, not enough boys in the family.’ We have strong pride in the women around us, very strong women. One day [my daughter] will walk in my footsteps the way I walked in my grandmother’s. I always feel their spirit with me, it guides me.”

– Marissa Riley

Marissa Riley is a Wajarri woman who grew up in Yulga Jinna Community and actively advocates for her community to this day. Here, she lived with her mum, dad and grandparents. Marissa attended remote schooling (School of the Air) as well as schooling in the regional town of Meekatharra. Currently she is living in Newman. Marissa started painting with her aunty and nana when she was 10 years old. She paints about her country, dreaming stories, animals, and community life.

Yulga Jinna is a self-managed community located about 130kms west outside of the remote Mid-West town of Meekatharra. The name of the community, Yulga Jinna, means ‘Flat Foot’. The community is located near to the Robinson Ranges in the Gascoyne-Murchison region, spanning between the Indian Ocean inland all the way to the Great Sandy Desert.