Janie Napangardi Williams, Ngarlkirdi Jukurrpa (Witchetty Grub Dreaming), 91x46cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Janie Napangardi Williams
• Community - Yuendumu
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 8585/22
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen
• Size(cm) - H91 W46 D2 
• Postage variants - Artwork is posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This painting depicts Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women (often shown as ‘U’ shaped figures) collecting ‘ngarlkirdi’ (witchetty grubs) in an area known as Kunajarrayi (Mount Nicker) 200 km to the south-west of Yuendumu. Witchetty grubs can be eaten cooked or raw and are edible in all phases of their life cycle. The design of this painting also symbolises important features of initiation ceremonies for young Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men. The area contains many caves (‘pirnki’) overlooking an important ceremonial site associated with the Ngarlkirdi Jukurrpa. This story belongs to the Nungarrayi/Jungarrayi and Napaljarri/Japaljarri subsections. In Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. Circular shapes are often used to depict the important sites for the ceremony and the long straight lines represent ‘witi’ ceremonial poles, which play an important role during the initiation ceremonies.

Janie Napangardi Williams was born in 1974, in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. Her biological mother passed away when she was very young. She was brought up by Mary Napangardi Butcher’s Dad, Jack Japanangka Butcher (Dec) and his sister Daisy Napanangka Nelson (Dec), both respected artists of the Yuendumu community. Janie attended the local school, and has three siblings - Joey, Maggie and Graham.

Janie has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2007. When young she would often visit the art centre and watch her adopted family paint and would listen to their stories. Janie paints her father’s and her Grandfather’s Ngarlidirdi Jukurrpa (Witchetty Grub Dreaming), from north of Mt Dennison. These stories relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. They have been passed down to her by her parents and their parents before them for millennial. Janie uses traditional iconology and an unrestricted palette to depict her traditional culture.

Janie is a single parent raising three children. She currently lives in Willowra, a remote Aboriginal community located 220 km north-west of Alice Springs and 200 km from Yuendumu. Whenever she can, she continues to visit Yuendumu, painting alongside her family and friends.

We take great pride in offering high-quality, authentic Aboriginal Art pieces to you. However, we are aware that there have been instances (and recent press relating to the unaffiliated APYACC) in the Aboriginal Art market where the authenticity of some artworks has been called into question. We want to assure you and all of our customers that we firmly stand behind the authenticity of every artwork we sell.

In addition to our extended 120 days standard returns, we are pleased to offer a lifetime money-back authenticity guarantee to all customers who purchase Aboriginal Art from us, both past and present. This guarantee covers any disrepute or wrongdoing in association with the authenticity of any Aboriginal artwork sold by ART ARK®. We understand that purchasing authentic Aboriginal Art is important to you, and we want to provide you with peace of mind in knowing that they are getting what you paid for.

As part of our commitment to authentic Aboriginal Art, we work with reputable Aboriginal Art centres that we know are committed to maintaining the integrity of Aboriginal Art. Additionally, we continually monitor all aspects of the Aboriginal Art market and are acutely aware of, and are proactive in addressing any issues arising.

We take the authenticity of Aboriginal Art seriously and are committed to providing you with high-quality and genuine works of art. If you have any concerns about the authenticity of any art piece you purchased from us, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will investigate further. If we find any wrongdoing or disrepute in regards to the provenance or authenticity of any artwork we have sold we will happily provide a full refund to you at any time in the future outside of our standard returns policy. 

Thank you for choosing ART ARK® for your Aboriginal Art purchasing. We are honoured to provide you with authentic, high-quality art pieces and look forward to continuing to serve you.