Selina Napanangka Fisher, Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) - Puyurru, 122x61cm

• Artist - Selina Napanangka Fisher
• Community - Nyirripi
• Art Centre/Community organisation - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 2069/18ny
• Materials - Acrylic on linen
• Size(cm) - H122 W61 D2
• Postage variants - This work is posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• 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.

Selina Napanganka Fisher was born 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. At the time her parents were living in Yuendumu. She has three sisters and two brothers. Her Mum has since passed away and her father now lives Mt Allen with “another wife”. Selina is the granddaughter of the late Topsy Napurrurla Fisher, an established artist with Warlukurlangu Artists. Selina went to the local Yuendumu School before going to Yirara College, an Aboriginal boarding college in Alice Springs, where she graduated in Year 10. When she finished school, she moved to Nyirripi, where she worked in the local store. She is married to Lance Tanner, who works for the Community Development Employment Project (CDEP). They have three children.