Polo, Kaalpa

Corban Clause Williams is a First Nations artist, a proud Martu, Manyjilyjarra man, currently residing on Martu Country (Western Australia).

Kaalpa is my two grandfathers' ngurra (home). My two grandfathers, they were pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) in Kaalpa, where they walked around hunting bush tuckers, getting meat for the family.

I went there for the first time in 2018 on a Martumili trip to Wantlili Claypan. The KJ (Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa) rangers were going to visit Kaalpa and asked "we going Kaalpa, you wanna come? "The oldies said "go see your grandfather's Country"-they showed me a well (Well 23 on the Canning Stock Route). It's got kapi (water) there, a well, jurnu (soak) and tuwa (sandhills). When we been in Kaalpa they [elders] said "this is your Country, this is your home. This one here is yours and your little sister's [Tamisha Williams] home, this is your two's grandfather's Country".

I went hunting there, got a parnajalpa (sand goanna). We were looking for bilbys - we couldn't find any. We got minyarra (bush onion) there too. When I went there, I was pukurlpa (happy). It made you open up your spirit, feels like home. When I was little, I first came to Martumili, I saw people painting and Gabe (Gabrielle Sullivan, previous manager at Martumili Artists) got me a small canvas to try. One day when I was at Fortescue festival I saw all the oldies there and their paintings, I was looking around, looking around and seeing what I liked, this and that, this and that, and I was thinking- I want to be a painter when I grow up.

At school in Newman and in Punmu I liked to paint. I painted a lot with my nana Jakayu [Biljabu] and little bit I got her style of painting, into my painting. First, when you have a brush in your hand it's like I see it in my mind, the sandhills, waterholes. I picture it in my head and I am back there.