Long Maggie Nakamarra White, Yinirnti Jukurrpa (Bean Tree Dreaming), 61x46cm

• Artist - Long Maggie Nakamarra White
• Community - Yuendumu  
• Art Centre/Community organisation - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation  
• Catalogue number - 2698/09 
• Materials - Acrylic on canvas  
• Size(cm) - H61 W46 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping

The Yinirnti Jukurrpa (bean tree Dreaming) is centred on Yarrungkanyi, a site near to Mount Doreen station to the west of Yuendumu. At Yarrungkanyi there is a large and unusual rock formation of round boulders on the top of hills. The seeds of the ‘yinirnti’ tree are threaded onto ‘wirriji’ (hair string) to make necklaces for decoration and ceremonial use. There is an old story that when a ‘yinirnti’ tree dies men take a piece of the trunk and cut a slit in it. They then place dry ‘marlu’ (kangaroo) dung in the slit and rub a spear thrower against it to heat it. When it starts to smoke highly flammable grass (commonly called kerosene grass) is placed against the dung and a fire is made in the slit. The custodians of the Yinirnti Jukurrpa and the site at Yarrunkanyi are Japaljarri /Jungarrayi men and Napaljarri/Nungarrayi women. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements. A variety of images and signs are used to depict the various elements of this story, much of which is restricted.

Long Maggie Nakamarra White, so named because of her tall and slim stature, was born c. 1930 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs. Maggie grew up there with her family. She was a widow, with one married daughter, who lives in Alice Springs with her husband. She started painting in 1987 at Warlukurlangu Artists, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre in Yuendumu. She painted several dreamings including Lukarrara Jukurrpa (Seed Grass Dreaming), Karnta Jukurrpa (Womens Dreaming), Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming), Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) and Jardiwanpa Jukurrpa (Snake Dreaming). Maggie used to go hunting with the other women from Yuendumu, visiting her country at Mijirlparnta (Mission Creek), and watching AFL games, both live and on television.