Ngalyipi Jukurrpa (Bush Vine Dreaming)
Regular price
Unit price
per
- Acrylic on Canvas
- Dimensions: 40cm x 30cm
- Cat No. 292-16
Biddy Long, affectionately known as Tiny and by her skin name Nungarrayi, was born in the early 1930s and spent her childhood on Mount Doreen station and walking throughout the Tanami desert with her family. Along with many Lajamanu artists of her era, Nungarrayi began painting in 1986 after completing a Traditional Painting course conducted by TAFE. She became one of the pioneers of acrylic painting on canvas in the community. Nungarrayi's true introduction to painting came many years earlier, learning to paint ochre onto bodies for cultural ceremonies. But acrylic paints have exposed her to a whole variation of colour that was previously unavailable. Dedicated to preserving Warlpiri culture, Nungarrayi spent many years teaching language and tradition at the local school. She is a strongly traditional woman, with great knowledge of the bush and desert walking. Nungarrayi's art has been widely exhibited around Australia as well as internationally, in France, Germany and Poland. She also has artwork that is held in major national collections. This dreaming tells about a special tree that everyone uses for medicine. It helps cure aches and pains in the joints, headache and snake bites. The vine is wrapped around the arm on leg and is left till the pain is taken away. Ngalyipi is like the bush banana Yuparli plant, it wind s around trees from ground upwards. The Ngalyipi vines has round leaves, it does not have any edible fruits, it is poisonous. The Snake Vine Ngalyipi is used for everything.
Lajamanu has a population of around 900 Warlpiri people. The older generation see Warnayaka as an avenue to achieve a number of needs that are present in their community. At the centre these elders still create their dot paintings. The most important thing expressed by members, is the need to preserve and pass on the cultural significance of Warlpiri, the culture of the people of Lajamanu, which encompasses not only art, but includes language, social structure, law and country. In doing so it is understood that excellence in art, prosperity from art sales, employment opportunities and preservation of pride in being Warlpiri will result. The art centre is a Warlpiri corporation and is staffed mainly by the children of the older generation of Indigenous Lajamanu residents who remember their first contact with white Australia. They maintain the computerised data base and run the art centre production. Older and younger community members produce Aboriginal dot paintings and make wooden artefacts. The centre is a place for a cup of tea and a song and dance, and then a trip into the Spinifex desert to look for goanna and lizards or to collect bush coconut, bush banana, yams and bush honey from native bees.
Best efforts are made to get your purchase on its way within 2 business days. Postage from Darwin can be slow so please bear with us!
All works are packed securely to protect during shipping. All items valued over $100 are insured for damage during transit.
If you are purchasing multiple works, please email us for custom shipping rates.
Items purchased online that are part of an exhibition will be shipped at the end of the exhibition period.