The Process

In early April we made another trip to that kapi place. "Tjanpi Claire" from The Tjanpi Desert Weavers came with us. Rene came too, she is a good weaver. 

We spent two days collecting grasses for making Tjanpi frames for our canvases. We had this idea but weren't sure it was going to work. The tjanpi we usually use for making baskets doesn't grow in this place so we looked for other grasses and plants that would work for weaving.

We found a nice dark green reed, good for stitching.We wanted to use the materials we could find in this place. We were happy again, remembering that time again when we ran out of petrol and first found this place, that special water. 

'We were painting and collecting punu (wood) for carving. We experimented with making pigments from the sand and ash from the waru (fire). We were telling that story and singing, making damper. But then the rain came. We will came back another day to paint our story. We are sitting in the creek bed. We will have to go or we will be washed away. It is not like that other time. It was summer then and it had not rained for long time....

"The next morning (the third day) we went to the creek and got more punu, we ran out of water.When I was digging in the creek, I saw wet one all along. Must be somewhere, water. And Ivy and Jennifer said - We go look, must be kapi somewhere." - Roma Peterman, Kapi Ungkupayi