Ngamaru was born at Martilirri (Canning Stock Route Well 22), the eldest of four siblings. Her mother came from the area around Wikirri and her father from Pitu. As a child Ngamaru lived a pujiman lifestyle, and walked around with her family, moving from water source to water source dependent on the seasonal rain cycles.
They often travelled with their extended relatives, Bugai Whyoulter and Jakayu Biljabu’s families. When Ngamaru was a teenager, her family and their travelling companions were tracked by native patrol officers and staff from the Jigalong Mission. The group was persuaded to move to Jigalong Mission, where they rejoined the many family members who had already moved in from the desert.
At the mission, Ngamaru’s sister and some of the Biljabu family were sent to school, but Ngamaru went to work making bread. From Jigalong, Ngamaru moved to Strelley Community where she met her husband, Joshua Booth. Together with their children they later moved to Warralong and then Punmu before settling in Parnngurr, where Ngamaru continues to live today.
Photograph by Duncan Wright.