Water Dreamingby Gwendolyn Nangala Martin

This small painting depicts the site of Puyurru, to the west of Yuendumu. It is a significant place for Gwendolyn and her family. Puyurru is usually dry creek beds which are water soakages or natural occurring wells. The Jukurrpa (Dreaming) talks of two Jangala men who were rain-makers, they would sing the rain, unleashing a giant storm. It travelled across the country with lightning striking the land. The storm met another storm from Wapurtali, to the west, where it was picked up by a "Kirrkarlan" (Brown Falcon) and carried further west until it dropped the storm at Purlungyanu. It was here that a great soakage was created. At Puyurru a bird dug up a gaint snake "Warnayarra" (The Rainbow Serpent) and the snake carried water to create the large lake, Jillyiumpa, near an outstation in this country. This particular Dreaming story belongs to the Jangala men and the Nangala women.

Artist:Gwendolyn Nangala Martin
Title:Water Dreaming
ID:281-18
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Size:30 x 30 cm
Region:Yuendumu, Central Australia

Artist

Gwendolyn Nangala Martin comes from Yuendumu Community approximately 300km from Alice Springs in Central Australia. Gwendolyn works closely with Warlukurlangu Artists, a local Aboriginal art centre based in Yuendumu. Gwendolyn decpits Ngapa Jukurrpa or Water Dreaming with a focus on the area around Puyurru.

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