Margaret Napangardi Lewis, Mina Mina Dreaming - Ngalyipi, 76x61cm

• Artist - Margaret Napangardi Lewis
• Community - Yuendumu
• Art Centre/Community organisation - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation  
• Catalogue number - 918/17ny
• Materials - Acrylic on linen  
• Size(cm) - H76 W61 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

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).

Margaret Napangardi Lewis was born at Mount Doreen Station, an extensive cattle breeding station about 55 km west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Margaret travelled around the country with her parents and went to school in Papunya then to the local school in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She is the daughter of Paddy Japanangka Lewis, a senior law man and artist. Margaret has two brothers, John and Willy and one sister Dorothy Napangardi Robertson, also a well-known artist working with Warlukurlangu Artists. Margaret is a Warlpiri woman who is now living in Nyirripi. She produced some paintings for Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centre in Yuendumu, between 1986 and 2001 when she was living in Yuendumu. She also participated in the Yuendumu Batik program coordinated by Peter Toyne from 1986 to 1988. While living in Yuendumu she worked in the kitchen and at the Art Centre. She later moved to Nyirripi and it wasn’t until 2007 that she started painting on a regular basis. Her Dreamings are Karnta Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming); Ngalyipi Jukurrpa (Snake Vine Dreaming); and wanakiji Jukurrpa (Bush Tomato Dreaming). Since 2009 Margaret has been painting Mina Mina Jukurrpa, Dreaming related to country located far west of Yuendumu on the border of the Tanami and Gibson Desert. She shares this country and dreaming with her ‘big sisters’ Betsy Napangardi Lewis and Judy Napangardi Watson. Mina Mina is a very important women’s dreaming site and has a long story in which a large group of ancestral women of all ages travel through the country dancing and performing ceremonies and creating the country as they go. When Margaret is not painting she loves to go hunting for bush tucker, especially bush potato, bush berries, bush banana and goanna.