Shekina Nangala Sampson, Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) - Puyurru, 50x40cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Shekina Nangala Sampson
• Community - Yuendumu
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 2616/23
• Materials - Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas
• Size(cm) - H50 W40 D3.5
• Postage variants - Posted stretched and ready to hang
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

The site depicted in this painting is Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. In the usually dry creek beds are ‘mulju’ (soakages), or naturally occurring wells. The 'kirda' (owners) for this site are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men. Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm. The storm travelled across the country from the east to the west, initially travelling with a ‘pamapardu Jukurrpa’ (termite Dreaming) from Warntungurru to Warlura, a waterhole 8 miles east of Yuendumu. At Warlura, a gecko called Yumariyumari blew the storm on to Lapurrukurra and Wilpiri. Bolts of lightning shot out at Wirnpa (also called Mardinymardinypa) and at Kanaralji. At this point the Dreaming track also includes the ‘kurdukurdu mangkurdu Jukurrpa’ (children of the clouds Dreaming). The water Dreaming built hills at Ngamangama using baby clouds and also stuck long pointy clouds into the ground at Jukajuka, where they can still be seen today as rock formations.

The termite Dreaming eventually continued west to Nyirripi, a community approximately 160 km west of Yuendumu. The water Dreaming then travelled from the south over Mikanji, a watercourse with soakages northwest of Yuendumu. At Mikanji, the storm was picked up by a ‘kirrkarlanji’ (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) and taken farther north. At Puyurru, the falcon dug up a giant ‘warnayarra’ (rainbow serpent). The serpent carried water with it to create another large lake, Jillyiumpa, close to an outstation in this country. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this story are Jangala men and Nangala women. After stopping at Puyurru, the water Dreaming travelled on through other locations including Yalyarilalku, Mikilyparnta, Katalpi, Lungkardajarra, Jirawarnpa, Kamira, Yurrunjuku, and Jikaya before moving on into Gurindji country to the north.

In contemporary Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the ‘Jukurrpa’ (Dreaming). Short dashes are often used to represent ‘mangkurdu’ (cumulus & stratocumulus clouds), and longer, flowing lines represent ‘ngawarra’ (flood waters). Small circles are used to depict ‘mulju’ (soakages) and river bed.

Shekina Nangala Sampson was born on the 13 March 2002, 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. Shekina is born into a long line of major Warpiri artists. She is the daughter of Geraldine Napangardi Granites and Clifford Jampijinpa Sampson, and the grand-daughter of Alma Nungarrayi Granites (1955 – 2017). Shekina went to the local school before going to Alice Springs to attend Yirara College, a boarding school for Indigenous students. When she was at school she liked playing sport and studying reading and writing. She has now finished school and has returned to Yuendumu.

Shekina began painting in 2018 with the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. She paints her grandmother’sYanjirlpirri or Napaljarri-warnu Jukurrpa (Stars and Seven Sisters Dreaming). She likes working with colour and uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture.

When Shekina is not painting, she enjoys cleaning her Aunty Valda’s house, creating a clean place to share with family and friends, especially when watching TV. On weekends, she sometimes goes hunting with her family.