Manyitjanu Lennon

Manyitjanu Lennon was born on 9th December 1940 and comes from the Yankunytjatjara Lands in Central and South Australia. She is a senior Aboriginal elder who holds extensive cultural knowledge and respect within her community. Manyitjanu lives at Kaltjiti Community also known as Fregon Community. Manyitjanu is originally from north of Watarru around Aralya and Kunytjanu, this is her mother’s country.

Like many Aboriginal people from this generation, Manyitjanu was born and raised in the desert, living a relatively traditional life, learning her culture and customs and how to survive in the harsh conditions. Eventually her family relocated to an Aboriginal settlement in her traditional homelands.

Manyitjanu works with the Kaltjiti Arts Centre based at Fregon and recently participated in one of their group exhibitions in 2013. Her paintings often depict her mother’s traditional country. In the painting featured on the Central Art website titled “This is Mamungari’nya”, Manyitjanu, depicts the country over the other side of the sand dunes last Tpilnga. This is the place where many white trees are growing. The Dreaming story tells of how the women came to be turned into the white marble gums on the sand dune south of Watarru. Lots of little saplings and Emu Bush grow in the region which is filled with clay pans.