Angkaliya was born in 1928 at Miti in the South Australian Pitjantjatjara Lands. When she was small she travelled with her mother to Watarru (her mother’s country). The family spent time at Ernabella mission and cattle station properties exchanging animal skins (dingoes and rabbits) for flour and sugar. She married and lived at Ernabella where she worked in the craft room spinning wool and making rugs. In the 1960’s she moved closer to her traditional homeland when the community of Amata began. Today she lives and works between Nyapari Community and Cave Hill. Angkaliya lived a semi nomadic lifestyle often walking long distances in the desert where traditional knowledge of the country, its water holes and food supplies are vital to survival. She learned from her mother and grandmother the secrets of the land and acquired an intimate understanding of the environment and the ancestral creation stories associated with it.
Info supplied courtesy Tjungu Palya Arts (c)
