Whiskey Tjukangku: Arrernte Country 2013

Whiskey has painted Arrernte country. As a young man Whiskey worked extensively across the Central Desert region as a "cowboy" - mustering cattle and breaking in horses for station owners. After working a while up in that Arrernte country, he became homesick and so came back to his ngura (country) on the APY lands in South Australia. Whiskey says this is not a Tjukurpa (Dreaming) story in this painting, it is just him remembering that place where he used to work. He remembers that there was lots of good tucker around that Arrernte country, and men and women would often go hunting for rabbits and other bush meats.

Whiskey's former work as a cowboy, and the journeys he made mustering cattle all over the desert as a young man, form a strong part of his sense of identity. Now, as an older man, Whiskey likes to recall through his paintings that very influential time of his life and the places he feels most connected to.