Karnta Jukurrpa (Womens Dreaming) - Original Art

This is an original artwork by artist - Christine Nungarrayi Brown, a member of the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation.

Additional canvas around the edge of the painting allows for stretching.

Artwork measures - 107 x 107 cm

This original artwork is unframed and shipped rolled up to your door! We have very competitive framing options on our site - see tab below to get a free online quote. 

A stamped certificate of authenticity is supplied by Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation with this artwork.

Warlukurlangu Artists is famous for its gloriously colourful acrylic paintings and limited edition prints. The Aboriginal art centre has a national and international profile and its art has been featured in hundreds of exhibitions and publications in Australia and around the world. Warlukurlangu means ‘belonging to fire’ in the local language, Warlpiri, and is named for a fire dreaming site west of Yuendumu.

Established in 1985 Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is a not-for-profit organisation that is 100% Aboriginal-owned by its artists from the remote desert communities of Yuendumu and Nyirripi in Central Australia. Proceeds from the sale of all art go directly back to the artists and their community projects. Warlukurlangu Artists is supported by funding from the Australian Government through the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support.

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ARTWORK STORY:

This painting depicts Nakamarra and Napurrurla women hunting for bush
foods. The ‘kirda’ (owners) for this story are Nakamarra/Napurrurla
women and Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. Yumurrpa and Wapurtali are two
major Dreaming sites owned by the Nakamarra/Jakamarra and
Napurrurla/Jupurrurla subsections; these sites are also associated with
bush food Dreamings. Yumurrpa is a major waterhole to the northwest
of Yuendumu and a ‘yarla’ (bush potato [Ipomea costata]) Dreaming site.
The area north of Wapurtali/Yintaramurru (Mt. Singleton) is a ‘wanakiji’
(bush tomato [Solanum chippendalei]) Dreaming site.

Warlpiri women hunt for a number of different bush foods at different
times of the year. These include ‘ngarlkirdi’ (witchetty grubs [Endoxyla
leucomochla larvae]), ‘yunkaranyi’ (honey ants [Camponotus inflatus]),
‘jintiparnta’ and ‘purlantarri’ (desert truffle [Elderia arenivaga]), ‘yuparli’
(bush bananas [Marsdenia australis]), ‘janmarda’ (bush onions [Cyperus
bulbosus]), ‘pirlala’ (bush beans [Acacia coriacea seeds]), ‘ngarlajiyi’
(bush carrots [Vigna lanceolata]), ‘wayipi’ (small bush carrots [Boerhavia
diffusa]), and ‘yakajirri’ (bush raisins [Solanum centrale]). Women
traditionally dug for these foods using wooden ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks).
The end of the digging sticks were charred and ground on a stone
surface to create a bevelled edge. Today many Warlpiri women use
crowbars (also called ‘karlangu’) to dig for bush foods. Collected bush
foods are traditionally carried in ‘parraja’ (coolamons), which can be
carried with a strap made from the ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine [Tinospora
smilacina]).

In Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the
Jukurrpa and other elements. Concentric circles are often used to
represent the bush foods that the women have collected, while straight
lines can be used to depict the ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks). Sinuous lines
are often used to represent the ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine).