Wati Wangka | Spiderman
Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna
21 Jun
2025
2025
12 Jul
2025
Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna was born in the bush around 1930 at Walyjatjara, north of Pipalyatjara, remote South Australia, in the Anangu, Pitjantjatjara, Yankuntjatjarra Lands (APY). He was a senior Lawman and Ngangkari (traditional healer). Ngangkari have special abilities and are responsible keeping balance by maintaining spiritual, emotional, social and physical health of a community. As a Ngangkari he had the ability to see spirits and use powers of ‘Wati Wanka’ to heal people. Tjukurrpa is a living real thing in his paintings ... it is the power informing the work.
Mr. Tjutjuna’s paintings are a colourful celebration of Tjukurrpa, he had the cultural authority to be inventive, he created a visual language in paint to allude to a greater knowledge system intrinsically linked to country. The ‘Wati Wanka’ is responsible for creating the place where Harry was born and the source of power that he used to heal people as a Ngangkari.
“This is the big Spider Man, Wati paluru Ngangkari (a male traditional healer). He is a powerful and clever man. When rain comes he hides in his nest. At nighttime he changes colour. His name is Wati Wanka (Spider Man). Minyma wanka Tjuta (referring to a group of female spiders) are the women and all the children for this man, that’s the story I am the Spider Man.” Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna
Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna truly lived the Tjukurrpa, a Ngangkari, a respected elder, an artist with a huge personality who used his great knowledge to promote culture and heal people. It is hard to contemplate the enormity of change he experienced in his lifetime, from a traditional life on country to a sought-after artist. We get to celebrate his life and consider his creative genius with the paintings in this exhibition; they are imbued with something special and invite us into his Tjukurrpa.
Excerpt from Dallas Gold's catalogue essay.
Installation View
Artworks










Artist Profile/s
Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna
Lives
Kunmanara (Harry) Tjutjuna was born in the bush circa 1930 at a place known as Walytjatjara. This place is north-east of Pipalyatjara community. He was one of the most senior Law men of the area. He was also a revered artist and Ngangkari (traditional healer). A native Pitjantjatjara speaker, Kunmanara has strong family ties to the APY (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) Lands in South Australia, and into the west towards Warburton Ranges. As a young man, he moved around a lot. He lived at a place called Pukatja (Ernabella), where a mission existed for many years. It began in 1937 and was primarily established to provide medical assistance and western education to local Anangu (the term for Aboriginal people from the area). Kunmanara went to school in Pukatja but he later moved on to work at a settlement, where he sank bores, did fencing and gardening and tended to the animals. He also worked as a stockman, mustering cattle for many years. Eventually he moved back to the far north-west with a large family, living in and around Irrunytju (Wingellina) in Western Australia, and Pipalyatjara in South Australia.He became a full-time artist in 2005 at Ernabella Arts before moving permanently to Pipalyatjara in 2008, where he continued painting at Ninuku Arts Centre. His knowledge of Tjukurpa (Dreaming stories) associated with the land surrounding Pipalyatjara is extensive and, due to his seniority, is unmatched by most others. He paints a range of stories including Wati Wanka (Spider Man); Wati Nyiru, the man who chases seven sisters around and eventually marries one; and Kungka Tjuta - young girls telling stories traditional way by drawing designs in the sand (milpatjunanyi). "Old generation are here now and I am old generation too. Lots of old generation have passed away. What are we going to do? What happens when I pass away? New generation got to learn Tjukurpa." His whimsical themes, combined with his masterful use of the brush, quickly positioned him as one of the most highly sought-after artists at Ninuku Arts and throughout Australia. He has a unique approach to painting, exhibiting a quirky representation and bold confidence.