Sentarra Nakamarra Marshall, Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming), 30x30cm

Pikilyi is a large and important waterhole and natural spring near Mount Doreen station. Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming) tells of the home of two rainbow serpents, ancestral heroes who lived together as man and wife. The woman ‘rainbow serpent’ was of the Napanangka skin group, the man was a Japangardi. This was a taboo relationship contrary to Warlpiri religious law. Women of the Napanangka and Napangardi subsection sat by the two serpents, picking lice off them. For this service, the two serpents allowed the women to take water from the springs at Pikilyi. This was because the serpents were the ‘kirda’, or ceremonial owners, for that country. The spirits of these two rainbow serpents are still at Pikilyi today. This Dreamings belongs to the women and men of the Japanangka/Napanangka and Japangardi/Napangardi skin groups.

Sentarra Nakamarra was born in 2006 in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Nyirripi, a remote Aboriginal community 450 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She is the daughter of Cecily Napanangka Marshall and Evan Jungarrayi Sims and the granddaughter of Eric Marshall and Janie Rice. Sentarra has one brother and lives in Nyirripi with her family. She attends the local school, and first came to the art centre in Nyirripi as part of a school assignment to learn about her family history and the dreaming stories passed down by her parents and grandparents. She enjoyed painting so much, she continues to paint at the Art Centre.

She has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu and Nyirripi, since 2021. She paints her mother’s and grandmother’s Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughhan Springs Dreaming), stories relating directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. They have been passed down through the generations for millennia. She uses an unrestricted palette and blends her own patterns with ancestral motifs to depict her traditional Jukurrpa.

When she is not studying or painting, she enjoys going out bush or going to organised sports and discos, watching and listening to music and keeping an eye on the littles nearby.

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. 

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