Phyllis Ningamara / Gerany (Stone) Country (9A)

Phyllis was born at Ivanhoe Station in 1944 where her father was the station cook and her mother worked in the kitchen. She and her sister, artist Nancy Dilyai, grew up at Ivanhoe and eventually assisted their mother in the Station House with domestic duties. Phyllis was a stock-camp cook, and whilst enjoying the life looked forward to holiday time with the rest of her family at Argyle.  Phyllis and Nancy both spent a great deal of time at Argyle Station, owned by the Duracks, until it was submerged with the building of the Ord River Dam.

“This is stone country – when I walk across my country there are many rocks and small stones. We call them Gerran. In the wet season the rivers are filled with beautiful coloured stones”.

This painting also tells another story. It is a corroboree story handed down to Phyllis by her father that describes the boundaries of the stony Miriwoong country as well as a representation of her traditional country at Woorroo Worrem east of Kununurra in the Kimberley region. In the corroboree the dancers walk to the north, the east, the south and the west outlining the stone Miriwoong country. As this story was given to the artist she passes it on to her children and grandchildren.