The Tingari were a group of ancestral beings that emerged from the earth and conducted activities that led to the formation of the landscape and its inhabitants. The content of these ancient stories remains the exclusive knowledge of the initiated men. The painting depicts “tali tjuta”- many sandhills of the Marruwa area West of Lake McKay.

In a minimal linear style, the artist has depicted a particular site known as Wanapatangu, which is recorded as being northeast of Wilkinkarra (Lake McKay) in Western Australia. This is one of the points where the Tingari ancestors stopped for ceremonial and social activity in their long journey across the desert and now remains as a significant ceremony site for the Pintupi men. According to the artist, the rectangles mark the watery areas that surround Wanapatangu. Thomas Tjapaltjarri is one of the leading artists of the Western Desert. Born c. 1964, he and his family including brothers Warrlimpirringa and Walala Tjapaltjarri made world headline news when they ‘walked in’ from living their fully traditional life in the 1980s. Today many of this extended family are leading painters, who, like Thomas exhibit nationally and internationally.