Cirrus@Austlit

'Fresh, funny and highly original, Tangki Tjuta – Donkeys is an endearing dual language story about how donkeys came to be a rich part of life for one Aboriginal community. Told in Pitjantjatjara and English.

'Long, long ago, we didn't have donkeys. We didn't have a lot of the things we have today. We didn't know donkeys existed.
Our people used to walk with their camels and donkeys from Areyonga to Ernabella. They brought their donkeys here, and left them.

'Donkeys are malpa wiru, valuable friends and helpers in the families and desert community of Pukatja (Ernabella) in the APY Lands of northern South Australia. People set off on their donkeys for picnics and longer journeys, always returning home safely.

'Told in Pitjantjatjara and English and featuring the whimsical, distinctive sculptures that have made Tjanpi Desert Weavers famous, this dual language Australian story offers warm and humorous insights from an Anangu perspective.'  (Publication summary)

'A magnificent celebration of Kunmanara Williams' life and art and the land rights movement in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands of Central Australia.

'I want my book to be in schools and read by politicians and young people everywhere, so that they can learn about Tjukurpa Law, and realise how crucially important Tjukurpa is to Anangu Aboriginal people. Our Tjukurpa Law is all-encompassing. It was always intended to be eternal, but we know it is at risk. This is why I am documenting it now. I want to raise people's consciousness. I want us to be acknowledged by the wider society and the government. I am hoping to start a movement of new awareness.' 

Written in Pitjantjatjara and English, this book showcases the enduring legacy of senior Mimili Maku artist Mumu Mike Williams' extraordinary life and art.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.