Nancy Napanangka Gibson

Nancy Napanangka Gibson was born 'a long time ago' beside Lake MacKay, an extensive saline lake on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, some 500 km to the west-north west of Alice Springs. Brought up in the traditional lifestyle, Nancy went hunting and gathering in the bush with her family and learning about country. In the 1950s, her family were the last to leave the bush to settle in Yuendumu.   Now a widow, Nancy lives in Nyirripi, 132 km west of the Lake Mackay site. This small Aboriginal community was once an outstation of Yuendumu. Nancy's family is 'a big mob': she has three sons, two daughters, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.  Nancy started painting in Alice Springs many years ago and says she is self-taught. Since 2006 she has been a painter at Warlukurlangu, located in the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, some 300 km from Alice Springs. The art centre regularly visits Nyirripi, a further 160 kms from the community, dropping off art materials and collecting finished paintings. The main subject of Nancy's paintings is Mina Mina Jurkurrpa, Dreamings related to her country west of Nyirripi and near Lake MacKay, and also sometimes other Dreaming'srelated to her Mina Mina: Wurrpadi Jukurrpa (Spear-tree Dreaming) and Wakerlpirri Jukurrpa (Dogwood Tree Dreaming) .  Nancy enjoys painting on most days; on the weekends she still goes goanna-hunting.