Nancy Napanangka Gibson, Mina Mina Jukurrpa - Janyinki, 30x30cm

The country associated with this painting is Mina Mina, a place far west of Yuendumu, significant to Napangardi/Napanangka women who, along with their classificatory Japangardi/Japanangka brothers, are the custodians of the Jukurrpa that created the area. This Dreaming describes the journey of a group of women of all ages who travelled east gathering food, collecting ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine [Tinospora smilacina]) and performing ceremonies as they travelled. The women began their journey at Mina Mina where ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) emerged from the ground. Taking these implements the women travelled east creating Janyinki and other sites. Their journey took them eventually beyond Warlpiri country. The women used the ‘karlangu’ to collect bush tucker on their travels. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements. The main motif uses in paintings of these Dreaming are the ‘karlangu’, which rose up out of the ground at Mina Mina.

Nancy Napanangka Gibson was born a long time ago, at Lake MacKay, a vast saline lake that spans the border of WA and the NT and is located 500 km west-north-west of Alice Springs. Nancy was brought up the traditional Aboriginal way, going bush with family and learning all about country. Nancy’s family were the last people to come from bush to Yuendumu in the 1950s. Nancy is a widow and now lives in Nyirripi, originally an outstation of Yuendumu but now a small Aboriginal community, and located 132 km to the west of Lake Mackay site. She has five children, three sons and two daughters; she has grandchildren and great grandchildren – a big mob.

Nancy started painting in Alice Springs many years ago. She says she taught herself to paint. In 2006 she started painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km from Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. The art centre make regular visits to Nyirripi to drop off canvas, paint and brushes for the artists and to collect finished artwork. She mainly paints Mina Mina Jurkurrpa, Dreamings related to her country west of Nyirripi and near Lake MacKay. Occasionally she paints Wurrpadi Jukurrpa (Spear-tree Dreaming) and Wakerlpirri Jukurrpa (Dogwood Tree Dreaming) Dreamings that also relate to her Mina Mina.

She loves to paint most days and still goes hunting for goanna on the weekends.