Bush Medicine Dreamingby Margaret Turner Petyarre

Margaret Turner Petyarre was born in 1945 and comes from the Utopia region in Central Australia. Sadly Margaret passed away on the 28th of July 2008. Margaret was an Anmatyerre woman and spent the majority of her life living in her traditional lands around Utopia.

Margaret first became involved in modern art depiction like many other women from Utopia in the late 1970’s. A community project was created whereby the women of Utopia were introduced to silk batik making. The women would depict bush scenes and their Dreamings on the silk batiks. Margaret depicted Green Budgerigar Dreaming; in the silk Margaret displayed the women performing the ceremony for the Green Budgerigar. She used traditional iconography to illustrate the women, and the women preparing for the ceremony by body painting. The project went on to become a great success, touring around Australia, Scotland and Eire and was later acquired in full by the Holmes a Court Collection.

Margaret eventually moved to acrylic paints and canvas in the 1990’s and was supported and guided by the respected artists within her Petyarre skin group.

Central Art has several paintings featured on our website. One depicts “Awelye”; in this Margaret depicts the women’s ceremonial body painting designs used in Awelye ceremonies (Women’s Business). The women from Utopia will paint their upper bodies with ochre paste (a traditional paint) in markings prior to commencing ceremonies. During ceremonies women will participate in many song lines and dance cycles to pay homage to their ancestors and Dreaming stories.

The other artwork depicts “Bush Medicine Dreaming” in this artwork Margaret depicts the leaves of distinctive native plants found in Central Australia which are gathered by Aboriginal women. The leaves are boiled down and Kangaroo resin added and mixed into a paste. This paste is then used as a natural bush medicine to treat wounds, cuts, and boils. This Dreaming is also celebrated during women’s ceremonies.

Out of respect of Aboriginal culture and Margaret’s family Central Art has removed her photograph. Naming Aboriginal people who have passed away was traditionally forbidden. Traditionally you are required to avoid referring to the deceased directly by name as a sign of respect. This has also come to include photographs, filming and voice recordings as technology has grown. Central Art acknowledges that we have named Margaret on our website however it is linguistically difficult to promote her works without naming her.

View more artworks by this artist