most pintupi families had been settled in rural communities well over 20 years before. starting from the 1930s, the pintupi were forced to leave their homeland because of weapons tests being done at woomera. most were taken to papunya, very far to the east, which is historically luritja land. others were moved northwest to balgo, in kukatja country. after this time, the pintupi were said to have given up looking for any of their relatives living in the desert after they lost contact with the general community. they believed such people had died.