Yumari literally means mother in law in Luritja, the language of Pepai's father. A site named Yumari is located west of Walungurru or Kintore (NT) and east of Kiwirrkurra (WA). Pepai visited this site for the first time on a recent trip back to his custodial country in April 2017, having left this region as a 19 year old after his parents passed away. Pepai has spent the last 40 years living and working in Ernabella. On the trip he travelled with fellow Ernabella artist Derek Jungarrayi Thompson to visit sites between Kintore, Kiwirrkura and Lake Mackay (Wilkinkarra).
"I went to that place Kiwirrkurra and I was returning and we came half way to see my father’s country, to see my father’s and grandmother’s country and the big rock hole, it’s really long. I was looking at it and after seeing it I thought, ‘’Well, I might paint this one.”
The name of the place is Yumari. That place Yumari. I’m painting that one now. Although the markings on the pot refer to the site of Yumari. The form itself references the termite mounds Pepai saw at the site Ininti on his recent trip.