Carlene is telling the story of Mamu (Mischievous Spirits) on Kalaya Ngura (Emu Country). Carlene's family's country is near Kanpi in the Western Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. The emu (kalaya) is the ancestral being who formed that part of the country as it travelled from Kanpi to Watarru. Carlene is a senior artist and member of the Ernabella community. Her artworks are about tjulpu tjuta (birds).  It is typical for the kalaya to have many children, like Carlene who had six children when she was a younger woman. People call her Tjulpu Thompson, and she says ‘like I did with my children, I now raise chicks every day on canvas and in clay in my work’. Carlene’s depiction of mamu has been told to her by her grandfather and grandmother.

These mamu are the spirits of the ancestors who appear in the bush at night time. A mamu is a spirit that lives near waterholes. Mamu are usually depicted as bad spirits or monsters in traditional Pitjantjatjara stories, particularly those told to children by adults in order to scare them and thereby keep them close and safe. Mamu can be dangerous especially for children, they are shape shifters and can appear like animals. Carlene’s mamu have scales, big fluffy ears, claws and a smile. When startled they make a growling sound like a nocturnal gecko called papangaurpa.