An enticing but demanding exhibition has opened at the National Library of Australia.

Wangka Wakanutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre unveils a hitherto hidden part of the Library’s collection, linking community storytelling and publication with the visual arts, and focusing on Papunya, 240 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs, widely regarded as the birthplace of the Western Desert art movement.

Accompanied by a new hard-cover publication of the same name, the exhibition showcases the decades-long efforts of the Papunya community to record, preserve and sustain language and culture, a remarkable achievement, but only possible because the community retains fluency in its mother tongue. As the artists involved in the project say: “This is who we are, this is our world, our story, our reality, our present.”

Between 1979 and 1990, the Papunya Literature Production Centre produced hundreds of bilingual Pintupi–Luritja “readers” under the guidance of community Elders, who said: “We would translate them… scary stories, hunting stories, stories about everything… translating and recording them together alongside pictures. There were lots of us working at the literacy program, ladies and men.”

More than 350 of these readers were received by the NLA under legal deposit provisions, and in 2024 they were digitised in consultation with the community and are now freely available online via Trove. Most of the stories are written in Pintupi Luritja.

Speaking at her final official event, retiring director-general Marie-Louise Ayres described the exhibition as a true community project, noting that the stories have now been made accessible to all Australians.

Viewed in an early walkthrough, the opening gallery locates the Papunya community and its language physically, introducing the Literature Production Centre through a design inspired by the honey ant motif.

The exhibition is intentionally  structured to put the local language on equal footing with English, and while this makes for a demanding experience, as words and images alike require close and thoughtful attention, it is also engaging and fun, with stories covering traditional life and its rituals.

These include Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula’s popular story, “I thought it was a devil,” about the arrival of the first aeroplane in Papunya in the 1930s, and other first-contact narratives under the heading “When we first saw white fellas”. There is even an illustration by Douglas Multa of a visit from Midnight Oil.

Visitors are well advised to get hold of the substantial accompanying book, which is fully illustrated, bringing together the stories and images on high-quality paper.

The exhibition represents many individuals, including senior artist-storytellers from Papunya who travelled to Canberra for the opening. Their presence, as well as the naming of figures such as Thomas Stevens, Abraham Stockman, Charlotte Phillipus Napurrula, Dennis Nelson Tjakamarra and founding writer Obed Raggett, underscores the individual talents of these artists.

The stories are finely nuanced. In one of the aeroplane stories, for instance, we learn how it was presumed by locals to be a representation of the devil himself. There is also a fascinating narrative about how locals initially rejected gifts from white men, especially food, supposing them to be poisoned, but eventually saw the sense in accepting useful items.

Sabrina Ferguson Nakamarra is known for her scary stories, including one about a mother’s search for her daughter, and another about children who survive after their group has been eaten by a monster woman.

Stories of cannibalism, elopement and payback abound, but perhaps the darkest of all, by Charlotte Phillipus Napurrula, tells of the unwelcome visit of the Kadaitcha man, a ritual assassin, who kills a husband then, thwarted, goes to another community and kills someone randomly to even up the balance.

Given the different talents involved in recording, transcribing and illustrating the stories, it is not surprising that collaboration is at the fore. Charlotte Philippus and Abraham Stockman collaborated on The Mountain Devils, a moralistic story about a mountain devil man who runs off with a woman promised to someone else, and also on stories about the giant snake, Wanampi.

These works sit alongside lighter tales, like the traditional account of how the echidna got its spines, later revisited in the final room via a large video screen, creating a satisfying echo.

Originally created using modest technologies, including an old IBM Selectric typewriter and published with a Multilith 1250 offset printer, the stories were produced in both English and Pintupi Luritja. Younger visitors may be especially drawn to the storyboard style of narration, while others will appreciate the detailed visual compositions and observational detail.

The exhibition includes photographic material identifying contributors and placing the works in context, but the book elaborates on these further. It is certainly an exhibition to take children to, though they will need to engage closely, and adults would do well to bring their reading glasses.

Wangka Wakanutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre. National Library of Australia, until October 11. Free.