Lee Nangala Gallagher, Yankirri Jukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) - Ngarlikurlangu, 107x91cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Lee Nangala Gallagher
• Community - Nyirripi
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 1060/25ny
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen 
• Size(cm) - H107 W91 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 a ‘yankirri Jukurrpa’ (emu [Dromaius novaehollandiae] Dreaming) from a place called Ngarlikurlangu, approximately 50kms north of Yuendumu. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this Dreaming are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men. 

This Jukurrpa tells the story of a ‘yankirri’ (emu) and a ‘wardilyka’ (bush turkey [Ardeotis australis]). ‘Yankirri’ lived at a soakage to the west called Warnirripanu (or Walangkamirirri), while ‘wardilyka’ lived at a soakage to the east called Parirri.  The emu and bush turkey used to go around the country picking ‘yakajirri’ (bush raisins [Solanum centrale]) and mashing them into ‘kapurdu’ (fruit balls) to save in their nests for later. However, they were jealous of each other; the emu thought that the bush turkey was picking the best and juiciest ‘yakajirri’, and was leaving him with only the sour ‘yakajirri’.

The emu went to the bush turkey’s nest to the east while the bush turkey was out hunting and smashed up the ‘kapurdu’ that the bush turkey had saved there. When the bush turkey returned, he found his smashed ‘yakajirri’ balls and realized that the emu had destroyed them. He went to the west to confront the emu and when he found him, they got into a big fight. The bush turkey eventually flew away to the north, leaving behind the smashed ‘yakajirri’ balls.

This practice of making ‘kapurdu’ (fruit balls) is a traditional Warlpiri method of storing ‘yakajirri’; in the old days, people used to dry the ‘yakajirri’, grind them up with a rock in a coolamon, mix them with water and form balls from them, and cover the ‘kapurdu’ with red ochre so they would keep.

Today at Ngarlikirlangu we can see round, red rocks which are the ‘kapurdu’ that the emu smashed up. There is also a dance for this ‘yankirri’ (emu) Jukurrpa that is performed during mens’ initiation ceremonies. A number of other Jukurrpa are also located at Ngarlikirlangu, including ‘wardilyka Jukurrpa’ (bush turkey Dreaming), ‘yardijiinypa Jukurrpa’ (meat ant Dreaming), and ‘pirntina Jukurrpa’ (woma or Ramsay’s python [Aspidites ramsayi] Dreaming). Lots of ‘yakajirri’ grow around the Ngarlikirlangu area today.

In contemporary Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography can be used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites, and other elements. ‘Yankirri’ are usually represented by arrow-like shapes depicting their ‘wirliya’ (footprints) as they walk around.

”I find painting very contemplative.” Lee Nangala Wayne/Gallagher was born in 1958 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She lived most of her life in Yuendumu, but when her husband passed away in 2003 she moved to Nyirripi, a further 160 km west of Yuendumu, where her mother still lives. Nyirripi is her father’s country and her mother is Mary Napangardi Gallagher, a well-known artist who also paints with Warlukurlangu Artists. Lee has one sister and three brothers. She has three children, two sons and one daughter and one adopted child from her younger sister. She has lots of grandkids. Lee went to Yuendumu School and after completing school she worked for the Central Desert Shire (CDS) Council Trust, cooking for the aged care. She has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre in Yuendumu since 2006. She began painting after “watching all those old people doing painting”. She says she feels better when she’s painting. Lee paints her father’s Jukurrpa stories, Dreamings that relate directly to her father’s land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. These stories have been passed down for millennia. She particularly likes painting her father’s Jukurrpa, especially Yankirri Jukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) and Yunkaranyi Jukurrpa (Flying Ants), Dreamings that relate to her country between Nyirripi and Yuendumu. Lee uses traditional Aboriginal colours of black, yellow and red, acrylic colours that imitate the ochres found in the area.