Womens Ceremonyby Narpula Scobie Napurrula

This artwork uses traditional symbols which depicts women (U shaped motifs) at rock-hole sites (circles). Often at rock-hole sites ceremonies are performed away from others that are not allowed to be included. Before the ceremony begins the women are fully adorned in body paint and specific ceremonial items are used. Song lines and dance cycles are performed by the women who will also often have body paint designs on their upper bodies.

Artist:Narpula Scobie Napurrula
Title:Womens Ceremony
ID:0612533
Medium:Acrylic on Belgian Linen
Size:88 x 66 cm
Region:Amunturngu, Central Australia

Artist

Narpula Scobie Napurrula was born in c.1933 near Haasts Bluff and grew up in Papunya in central Australia. where she stayed until the beginning of the 80s. Both her older brother Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and her husband Johnny Scobie Tjapanangka were also artists (both deceased).

Narpula assisted her husband for many years in painting the background details to his artwork, Narpula began painting herself independently in the 80s. In those early years she was the only female artist working in the Papunya area. Napurrula began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in the early 1980s, and was one of the first and few women at the time to do so.

Narpula depicts in her artwork themes of bush food stories, including the ‘Two Women who came from Mitukutjarrayi’ in the south. She reside at Mount Leibig.

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