Mary Meribida Australian, Yulparija, c. 1938-2015

Mary was born at Ilyara (Punmu) and lived there throughout her childhood. She travelled around her country with her family. Until the early 1970s, she lived a traditional life and says, "We been walk 'em, no clothes, nothing. We proper bush people, no English." Mary is a part of the Yulparija people who walked out of the desert to the coastal town of Bidyadanga in search of water after severe drought had plagued their land.