Sadie Singer (Nyalyumta)
Sadie Singer was born at Lambina Station near Indulkana in 1950. Her mother’s Country is Watjapila (Yankunytjatjara) and her father’s country is west of Indulkana in the Pitjantjatjara Lands.
‘I spent my childhood in Coober Pedy, attended school there and as a teenager worked at the Reserve washing clothes for the local children. I first married in Coober Pedy. I worked at the Roadhouse for Mrs. Jack and Mary Brewster. I lived in Coober Pedy with my family for the majority of the 1960’s and then in 1975 I traveled to Indulkana, back home to where I was born. I was a teacher at the Indulkana School from 1975 for one and a half years. I taught the three languages; Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and English to the children. I then moved to Fregon and continued teaching there. I started my Certificate of Teacher’s Education at Batchelor College and graduated two years later.
We left Fregon in 1983 and returned to Indulkana. I began work at the community clinic as a health worker and worked for two and a half years. In this time I traveled to Adelaide to obtain my Health Worker’s certificate.
For something different, I worked in the Old Store as a salesperson and at the time worked as a Night Warden for the community to try and look after the children and stop petrol sniffing. In 1984 I began my career as an artist at Iwantja,assisting the coordinator at the time, Beverly Old.
I worked as a member of the Indulkana Community Council for seven years. I then worked as a Police Aid. Now, I live on my homeland, 10kms outside of Indulkana and today I am semi-retired.
I teach my grandchildren how to make paintings and how to do Inma (dancing) and make artifacts. I tell them how to continue stories about special bush-tuckers, honey ant and jukurrapa (dreamings). I look after my boys and grandchildren. I teach them how to follow the fresh tracks to get emu, perenteye, and kangaroos. They have to hear about their great, great grandmother and know their culture to keep it strong. The most important thing is to learn how to speak English to the whites. Young people must learn how to speak three languages so they can speak to their elders and also the little tjiitji (children) coming through. This builds a bridge between cultures. I want the children to know what is right and what is wrong.
I like printmaking and painting. I also make artifacts out of wood like lizards, goannas and piti (bowls). I paint and make things at home to sell at Railway Bore and Iwantja.’
Sadie has gained immense respect as an artist and her paintings, prints and punu are highly sought after. Sadie successfully exhibited punu at the 2006 Desert Mob Exhibition.
Her ‘Truck’ prints have appeared in Desert Mob exhibition 2007 in Alice Springs.
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