Tangki Tjuta - Donkeys

Fresh, funny and highly original, Tangki Tjuta - Donkeys is an endearing dual language story about how donkeys came to be a rich part of life for one Aboriginal community. Told in Pitjantjatjara and English.


Long, long ago, we didn't have donkeys. We didn't have a lot of the things we have today. We didn't know donkeys existed.

Our people used to walk with their camels and donkeys from Areyonga to Ernabella. They brought their donkeys here, and left them.


Donkeys are malpa wiru, valuable friends and helpers in the families and desert community of Pukatja (Ernabella) in the APY Lands of northern South Australia. People set off on their donkeys for picnics and longer journeys, always returning home safely.


Told in Pitjantjatjara and English and featuring the whimsical, distinctive sculptures that have made Tjanpi Desert Weavers famous, this dual language Australian story offers warm and humorous insights from an Anangu perspective.