Ngapa (Water Dreaming)by Janet Long Nakamarra

Janet Long Nakamarra was born in 1960 at Anninie on her traditional homelands of Warntapari, near Willowra Community in Central Australia. She grew up living a traditional lifestyle with her family. She was introduced to art depiction through observing her aunt’s May and Molly Napurrula and learnt how to paint traditional body paint design for her Warntapari Dreamings. Janet is the daughter of fellow artist, Nora Long Nakamarra, sister to Doreen Dickson Nakamarra and half sister to well known and talented artist Malcolm Maloney Jagamarra. Central Art has a large collection of Malcolm Maloney Jagamarra’s artworks as well as paintings from Nora Long and Doreen Dickson.

After leaving school she began assisting the elders in the community in producing books in Warlpiri language whilst also studying to be a teacher. These books “Warlpiri Women’s Voices” were translated into both English and Warlpiri. Through her hard work and determination she gained the status of linguist with her people and began to teach as a literacy worker at the Willowra School.

She first began to paint in 1989 on small boards when the community store began to stock art supplies for the artists residing there. It was her half-brother, Malcolm Maloney Jagamarra who appreciated her interest in painting and taught her how to use the medium of acrylics on canvas.

When author, Vivien Johnson, began to collect information for her book “Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert: A Biographical Dictionary” in the early 1990’s, Janet was approach to assist in the translation and gathering of artist information for the Willowra artists.

In 2003 after a period of apprenticeship and women’s law she was given permission by the Warlpiri elders to paint stories about Ngapa (of Water Dreaming). In these paintings Janet depicts the underground water flow at Warntapari. It is a place where ceremonies are performed. In her paintings she uses traditional iconography to represent soakages in the land. Her paintings are detailed with intricate dotting which flows across the canvas. She uses a topographical view of the land to connect the water soakages and the travelling that her ancestors had to make to ensure their survival and access to water.

Other subjects of Janet’s artworks include Ngapa, Witchetty Grub, Snake, Frog, Women’s Ceremony and Seed Dreamings. Central Art has a variety of examples of her Ngapa Dreaming as well as a stunning painting depicting the Bandicoot Dreaming and Yawulyu or body paint design. For Warlpiri women from Central Australia during ceremonies to pay homage to the ancestors the women will paint their upper bodies, arms and breasts with markings in ochre paste. The markings themselves symbolise the actions of the ancestors.

Janet has a deep knowledge and understanding of language and she uses this to her advantage through her paintings. Like no other artist she is able to translate her Dreaming stories onto canvas without losing any of the vital and sacred cultural knowledge. She is able to tell stories of the mythology of Warlpiri people in a way that anyone is able to understand and learn. Janet sees this as a way of teaching people about her culture. I (Sabine Haider, Director of Central Art) very much see Janet as a mentor and I am truly honoured to have a close relationship with Janet. She is a remarkable woman and we often discuss important issues facing Indigenous artists particularly around exploitation.

Janet’s paintings can be found in several well known art collections in Australia as well as at the Australian Embassy in New York, USA. She has had several solo exhibitions as well as been involved in multiple group exhibitions around Australia and overseas in Germany, China, Hong Kong and the USA. Her artworks provide us with a view of what the desert landscape may look like if we removed the top layer and her ability to do this indicates what a talented artist she is.

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