Yarla Jukurrpa by Alicka Napanangka Brown

This Yarla Jukurrpa belongs to men of the Japaltjarri/Jungarrayi subsections and to the Napaljarri/Nungarrayi women. It comes from an area to the east of Yuendumu called Cockatoo Creek. Yarla are fibrous tubers that grow beneath a low spreading plant found by looking for cracks in the ground. This edible tuber grows from roots which seek out moisture to spout new plants. Yarla are good to eat, when cooked they are really soft and tasty. The Jukurrpa tells of Yarla and Wapirti (Bush Carrot) ancestors fighting a big battle in this area. The specific site associated with this painting is a Mulju called Ngarparapunyu. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements. The curved lines of the Kuruwarri (ceremonial designs) represent the Ngamarna (vine-like tendrils) from which grow flowers. Digging sticks are used by women to dig for bush tucker like Yarla and Wapirti which are found underground.

Artist:Alicka Napanangka Brown
Title:Yarla Jukurrpa
ID:433-18
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Size:30 x 30 cm
Region:Yuendumu, Central Australia

Artist

Tina Napangardi Martin Robertson was born in 1960 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. Her parents and grandparents are deceased and she has only one sister who lives in Laramba community, near Napperby Station. Tina went to the local school in Yuendumu. She lived there for most of her life but now lives in Nyirripi after she married her second husband, Douglas Wilson. They have one son born in 1997. She also has five grown-up children from her first marriage. Tina has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artisits Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 1996. When Warlukurlangu Artists began exploring print making in 1997, Tina began screen printing and batik. However it wasn’t until 2007, when the children were grownup, that Tina found the time to paint on a regular basis. She paints her father’s Jukurrpa stories which include Yurrampi Jukurrpa (Honey Ant Dreaming) and Janyinki Jukurrpa (Yanyinki Dreaming). She also paints Ngalyipi Jukurrpa (Snake Vine Dreaming) and recently Pulundari Jukurrpa (Mushroom Dreaming). Tina enjoys painting, especially when her children and grandchildren are watching. She loves to explain to them the meaning of the different designs and patterns. She also enjoys going hunting on weekends for bush tomato and bush sultanas and when she can she visits her father’s country and her country.

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