Mayapu is a painter and storyteller. She paints about waterholes and hunting and gathering. When telling the stories about the paintings, Mayapu will quite often relate a dreamtime story or a specific event that occurred at these places.
Mayapu was born at Pinga Waterhole in the Great Sandy Desert around 1940. Her family left the country of Mayapu’s birth and moved to Thomas Springs where they joined other families who were moving towards the cattle stations of the Fitzroy Crossing valley. Many desert families camped at Thomas Springs but they encountered new diseases there, which killed many of the older people and children.
Mayapu’s father, who had three wives, was killed when police came and chained up several people and took them to Fitzroy Crossing. A large group of children then moved onto Christmas Creek Station to join other Wangkatjunka groups who had settled there. Mayapu moved there with her grandfather and worked there. Later, her own family grew up in the same community.
Mayapu’s paintings have been exhibited internationally and throughout Australia. She also carves coolamons and other artefacts and weaves baskets from spinifex grass and coloured wool.
