Antoinette Napanangka Brown, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming) - Ngalyipi, 30x30cm

• Artist - Antoinette Napanangka Brown
• Community - Yuendumu  
• Art Centre/Community organisation - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation  
• Catalogue number - 1219/16
• Materials - Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas  
• Size(cm) - H30 W30 D3.5 
• Postage variants - Artwork is posted stretched and ready to hang

This ‘Jukurrpa’ (Dreaming) comes from Mina Mina, a very important women’s Dreaming site far to the west of Yuendumu near Lake Mackay and the WA border. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this Dreaming are Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men; the area is sacred to Napangardi and Napanangka women. There are a number of ‘mulju’ (water soakages) and a ‘maluri’ (clay pan) at Mina Mina.

In the Dreamtime, ancestral women danced at Mina Mina and ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) rose up out of the ground. The women collected the digging sticks and then travelled on to the east, dancing, digging for bush tucker, collecting ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine [Tinospora smilacina]), and creating many places as they went. ‘Ngalyipi’ is a rope-like creeper that grows up the trunks and limbs of trees, including ‘kurrkara’ (desert oak [Allocasuarina decaisneana]). It is used as a ceremonial wrap and as a strap to carry ‘parraja’ (coolamons) and ‘ngami’ (water carriers). ‘Ngalyipi’ is also used to tie around the forehead to cure headaches, and to bind cuts.

The women stopped at Karntakurlangu, Janyinki, Parapurnta, Kimayi, and Munyuparntiparnti, sites spanning from the west to the east of Yuendumu. When they stopped, the women dug for bush foods like ‘jintiparnta’ (desert truffle [Elderia arenivaga]). The Dreaming track eventually took them far beyond Warlpiri country. The track passed through Coniston in Anmatyerre country to the east, and then went on to Alcoota and Aileron far to the northeast of Yuendumu and eventually on into Queensland.

In Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa and other elements. In many paintings of this Jukurrpa, sinuous lines are used to represent the ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine). Concentric circles are often used to represent the ‘jintiparnta’ (desert truffles) that the women have collected, while straight lines can be used to depict the ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks).

Antoinette Napanangka Brown was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She grew up in Yuendumu. She attended the local school in Yuendumu until 2003, when she got married. She has a boy and a girl born 2003 and 2004, respectively, which she spends most of her time looking after. While her grandmother, Wendy Nungarrayi Brown, was chairperson of the childcare centre, she would sometimes go there with her children and help out. She has been painting since she was a young girl, painting small boards for Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Association, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre. Her great grandfather on her mother's side is the well known artist Paddy Japaljarri Sims (dec), and it is from him that Antoinette has been handed down the stories of her ancestor’s country. These stories are Karnta Jukurrpa (Womens Dreaming) and Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming). From her father's side she paints the Jukurrpas from that country which is Mina Mina.