Yarla Jukurrpaby Steven Jangala Hargraves

This Yarla Jukurrpa belongs to men of the Japaljarri and Jungarrayi skin group and the Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women. It comes from an area east of Yuendumu Community in Central Australia. Yarla or bush potato are fibrous tubers that grown beneath a low spreading plant, found by looking for cracks in the ground. This edible tuber grows from Yartura or roots, which seek out moisture to sprout new plants. Yarla are good to eat, when cooked they are really soft and tasty. The Jukurrpa tells of Yarla and Wapirti (Bush Carrot) ancestors fighting a big battle in this area. The specific site associated with this Dreaming is a water soakage called Ngarparapunyu.

In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, its elements and associated sites. The curved lines of the ceremonial designs represent vine like tendrils from which flowers grow. Digging sticks are usually represented by straight lines, these are used by women to dig for bush tucker like Yarla.