Ilyara is the country where Mary was born. She traveled through this landscape extensively as a child, walking through the tali (sand dunes) to collect food with her mother. During...
Ilyara is the country where Mary was born. She traveled through this landscape extensively as a child, walking through the tali (sand dunes) to collect food with her mother. During the wet season, water would fill the country. This painting shows the main jila (living water) in Ilyara, as well as the smaller jila, all of which are surrounded by mayi (bush food) and tali (sanddunes). These waterholes have since dried up due to mining operations in the Pilbara. This drought forced Mary and her family to move to the coastal community of Bidyadanga where she now lives.