Anumara Tjukurpa

Hector Burton was born in the South Australian desert at Pipalyatjara, west of Amata in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. His father’s country was west of Wingellina and his mother came from Lake Wilson. The family moved from the desert to Pukatja (Ernabella) when Burton was a child. He commenced painting in October 2003 through Minymaku Arts centre, now know as Tjala Arts. Burton became a leading artist within the Southern Desert region, as well as an important community leader.

The art centre documentation for this works states:
This work on paper tells the creation time story of the caterpillars 'anumara'. The anumara is a large edible caterpillar with a hook on its tail. It is a story about kinship groups - represented by the North and the South. Hector is one group - the south (anumara) and his uncles, nephews and fathers are in the other (north - the other caterpillars - muya muya and ngalyakanti, literally 'hard forehead'). All the caterpillars travelled from places in the north and the south and all met up in one resting place (ngura). When the minyma (women) and tjiltji (children) arrive, the women dance in the fire and give the man the ceremonial stick. This is a beautiful ceremony, which Burton went through, long ago. This ceremony was not performed for a long time, until more recently when men from Amata took part. It is important that these ceremonies are kept going.