Jennifer Purvis Kngwarreye

Jennifer Purvis Kngwarreye is an Anmatyerre woman from the Utopia region in central Australia.

Born around 1970, Jennifer comes from a region well-known for producing painters of exceptional skill and her family and extended family are very well known painters from the region. Jennifer is the daughter of Senior Utopian Law Man Green Purvis Petyarre, who passed away in 2010.

Jennifer’s aunt was the famous painter Emily Kame Kngwarreye. In the Bush Yam Dreaming there are two parts to the story, one that belongs predominantly to Alhalkere country and the other that belongs to Arnumarra country. Two different seeds were born that created two different species of pencil yam; one called Atnwelarr which belongs to Alhalkere country, and the other called Arlatyeye which belongs to Arnumarra country.

The Bush Yam story is a very important Dreamtime story for the people of Alhalkere country and ceremonies are performed to ensure its productivity as a food source and life form of the ancestors.

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