Awelyeby Janet Golder Kngwarreye

Awelye refers to women's ceremonies associated with women's business and also refers to the painting of designs on a women's body. This spiritual, sensuous and meditative performance reflects the nurturing role of women in Aboriginal society.

The Awelye is performed by Aboriginal women to recall their ancestors, to show respect for their country and to demonstrate their responsibility for the well being of their community.Since it reflects women's role as the nurturer the Awelye makes connections with the fertility of the land and a celebration of the aboriginal food it provides. It is women's business and is never done in the presence of men.

The Awelye ceremony begins with the women painting each others' bodies in designs relating to a particular women's Dreaming and in accordance with their skin name and tribal hierarchy. The Awelye designs represent a range of Dreamings including animals and plants, healing and law. The designs are painted on the chest and shoulders using powders ground from ochre, charcoal and ash. It is applied with a flat stick with padding or with fingers in raw linear and curved lines. This is a meditative and sensual experience.

The act of decorating the body transforms the individual and changes their identity. During the painting which can take up to three hours, the women chant their Dreaming. The final part of the ceremony is when the women dance and chant.

Artist:Janet Golder Kngwarreye
Title:Awelye
ID:0411207
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Size:69 x 144 cm
Region:Utopia, Central Australia

Artist

Janet Golder Kngwarreye was born on 15th November 1973 and is the daughter of Margaret Golder and Sammy Pitjara. Janet is an Anmatyerre woman from the Utopia region in Central Australia. She grew up at Mulga Bore in the Utopia region surrounded by her family and kin. Utopia is renowned for its development and nurturing of extremely talented Aboriginal artists including, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Janet’s grandfather is Old Henry Pitjara and her grandmothers include Angelina Ngale and Polly Ngale, both of whom are notable artists. Her uncle is Greeny Purvis Petyarre (who sadly passed away in 2010), another well known, talented and collectable artist.

Janet began painting in 1997 and was taught the skills of art depiction by her family. She is married to fellow artist Ronnie Bird Jungala who is the grandson of famous Petyarre Sister, Ada Bird Petyarre (who sadly passed away in 2010). Together Janet and Ronnie have four children.

Janet is an emerging artist who shows promising talent, she predominantly depicts “Awelye” or ceremonial body paint using fine dot work and linear patterns. Central Art has some bright and colourful examples of her “Awelye” designs which she painted between 2003 and 2008. She is known for her depictions of Bush Medicine, in her artworks she depicts the leaves of particular plants found in Central Australia which contain medicinal properties. Traditionally women would gather the leaves, boil them and add a resin and use this paste to treat a variety of ailments. Both men and women have important roles to play within the community as healers. Janet also has the appropriate cultural knowledge and permission to depict the Dreamtime stories of the Mountain Devil Lizard and Emu.

Her artworks are colourful and creative, adding her own personal touch to these Dreamtime stories which have become famous by Utopian artists since the 1980’s during the Utopian art movement. Through her work with several art galleries around Australia, Janet has participated in several overseas group exhibitions and some of her artwork is held in the Mbantua Gallery’s permanent collection.

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