artist – Trevina Nakamarra Gibson

community – Central & Western Desert 

title:  Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) – Puyurru

dimensions: 30 x 30cm

medium: Acrylic on canvas

stretched: yes

about this painting: The painting depicts the Water and Termite Dreaming stories associated with Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. The site contains soakages in usually dry creek beds and is traditionally owned by Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men. The story tells of Jangala rainmakers who sang up a massive storm that travelled across the land, joined by the Termite Dreaming and guided by ancestral beings including a gecko and a brown falcon. The storm and Water Dreaming shaped the landscape, creating hills, rock formations, watercourses, and lakes, including Jillyiumpa, through the actions of clouds and a rainbow serpent. The Dreaming tracks continued across many sites and eventually into Gurindji country. In contemporary Warlpiri art, these events are symbolised through traditional iconography, with lines, dashes, and circles representing floodwaters, clouds, soakages, and creek beds.

Location: this artwork can be viewed at our Sydney gallery.