Yam Leaves

Delvine Petyarre

Atnwelarr, the pencil yam, and Kame, the seed of this plant, are the subject of Delvine’s painting. The Dreamtime stories for both of these belong to Delvine’s country Alhalkere in the Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs. The Atnwelarr is a trailing herb or creeper, sometimes covering large areas, with bright green leaves, yellow flowers and long skinny yams (swollen roots). These are an important food source which can be eaten raw or cooked in hot sand and ashes.

In the Dreamtime there are two parts to the Kame story, one that belongs to Alhalkere and Atnangkere countries, and the other that belongs to Arnumarra country. Two different seeds were born that created two different species of pencil yam; one called Atnwelarr which belongs to Delvine’s country, and the other called Arlatyeye which belongs to Arnumarra country. The Atnwelarr and Kame stories are very important Dreamtime stories for Delvine’s country and ceremonies by her people are performed to ensure its productivity as a food source and life form of the ancestors. In this painting, Delvine uses beautiful designs to represent the leaves of the Atnwelarr.