25-581 – Judith Aspro

“Sand dunes, going into Punmu from Telfer side. Long sand dunes, short sand dunes.” – Judith Aspro The traditional lands of the Martu people encompass the Great Sandy Desert and Rudall River regions of Western Australia, an enormous tract dominated by distinctive red tali or tuwa (sandhills). These sandhills present an unforgiving landscape; sparse vegetation covers a seemingly never ending expanse of dunes, and yet these land and the location of resources within was known intimately by its pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) inhabitants. At this time, Martu traversed very large distances annually in small family groups, moving from water source to water source through the harsh desert landscape with incredible stamina and resourcefulness. Travel was often undertaken at night, and when travelling through the day, Mart wore yakipiri (woven bark sandals) to protect their feet from the hot desert sand.