Australian Aboriginal Art - Red Desert Dreamings

Nancy and her family walked into Papunya from Wala Wala in the Gibson Desert, prior to the last group of traditional people being brought in by Native Welfare patrols under Jeremy Long. Nancy came in with her late Tjampitjinpa husband and two other co-wives. She is the sister of Naata Nungarrayi and George Tjungarrayi and now she lives at Kintore with her family.

Painting

Nancy paints her “Karrku” story, depicting women grinding wangunu, a grass seed used to make traditional damper. Apart from the symbols for the women and their activities, Nancy illustrates the landscape with tali or sand hills and puli or rocky hills.
Other stories include; “Mantarrkurra”
“Tunitjarra”- kunkga tjuta or many women.
“Marrapinti” – women’s business.
“Mamuttjulku” – Nancy’s (Tjapaltjarri) father’s site.
“Mantjintjalkara” – located in the Karrku area.
“Wirunya” – ceremonial skirt worn by women.

Represented

Flinders Art Museum, Flinders University, Adelaide

Works - click image to enlarge

Womens Ceremony

2003
151 x 182cm
Acrylic on linen

This painting depicts designs associated with the rock hole and water soakage site of Marrapinti, west of Kiwirrkura. Here a group of women, represented by the 'U' shapes, performed ceremonies and are grinding kampurarrpa - bush raisin used to make traditional damper. Apart from the symbols forthe women and activities, Nancy illustrates the landscape with tali or sandhills and puli or rocky hills.

Untitled

2003
91 x 61cm

The roundels (concentric circles) with the interconnecting lineal lines are indicative of some of the most primative symbols used by human beings. These basic symbols may be found as in this instance with Nancy's contemporary works using modern day materials. Throughout Western Desert Aboriginal culture these symbols occur in body paint ceremonies for both men and women, ceremonail group ground paintings (in ome cases these may be 1/2 a hectare is size), ceremonial bean wood shields which are used during mens initiation ceremonies (Maliyarra) and petroglyphs (rock carvings). These basic symbols can be found in areas of Southern Ireland and parts of the Middle East. The historical dating of such symbols is not possible.