Community: Mimili, SA
Language: Pitjantjatjara
Josina is a young Pitjantjatjara woman, who was born in Mimili. Her mother, the late Ngupulya Pumani and her grandmother Kunmanara (Milatjari) Pumani were two of the founders of Mimili Maku Arts. Both women taught Josina much about cultural leadership, but also about the strong connection with their country of Antara (Maku / witchetty grub Tjukurpa). Josina’s father is Shannon Kantji, a senior Yankunytjatjara leader. Josina began painting in 2009, and soon after became an arts worker at Mimili Maku Arts. She supported the senior artists during this time, learning from her Elders whilst developing skills in canvas preparation and studio support. In 2016 Josina moved to Adelaide. She returned to Mimili after her mother's passing in 2019, and after a few years in Mimili returned to Adelaide in 2023.
Josina's artworks reflect the style and stories she learnt from generations of women in her family. Josina began her ceramics practice in early 2024 and is one of the rising stars working in the APY Art Centre Collective studio. She is also a member of the Blak Manta ceramics collective.
Josina's ceramics tell the Maralinga story. Maralinga was the site of British nuclear tests in the mid-1950s that covered an area of 3,300 square kilometres across the remote north of South Australia. The effects of Maralinga were severe and have had lasting impacts on the Anangu people whose lives, lands and livelihood were destroyed. “Maralinga hurt our lands and people and our story needs to be told,” said Josina.
Josina recounts how the Maralinga story is within all her people and that “we think about it all the time. Why did this happen to us?” Nearly 70 years on the damage still informs the lives of Anangu people on the APY Lands. Josina’s uncle Yami Lester was blinded by the nuclear testing and her grandparents often spoke about the impacts of the bombing and how so many people lost their land, homes and lives. Notably the welts and burns people suffered.
Josina hand builds her pots. The red represents the fires the bombs caused, and the grey represents the smoke. The texture and detail on the exterior of her pot conveys story of the smoke and how it travelled and stretched across the APY Lands.