Antoinette Napanangka Brown / Mina Mina Dreaming (1A)

Artwork is accompanied by Warlukurlangu Artists (Yuendumu) Art Centre Certificate of Authenticity/Provenance

Antoinette Napanangka Brown was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She grew up in Yuendumu. She attended the local school in Yuendumu until 2003, when she got married. She has a boy and a girl born 2003 and 2004, respectively, which she spends most of her time looking after. While her grandmother, Wendy Nungarrayi Brown, was chairperson of the childcare centre, she would sometimes go there with her children and help out.

She has been painting since she was a young girl, painting small boards for Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Association. Her great grandfather on her mother’s side is the well known artist Paddy Japaljarri Sims (dec), and it is from him that Antoinette has been handed down the stories of her ancestor’s country.

Mina Mina is the area or country this painting is depicting. It is far west of Yuendumu and is very important to the Napangardi / Napanangka women. These women and their Japangardi / Japanangka brothers, are the custodians of the Jukurrpa that created the area. This story (Dreaming) tells of the journey of a group of women who travelled east gathering food, ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine) and performing ceremonies as they journeyed.

The ‘ngalyipi’ vine grows up the trunks and branches of the ‘kurrkara’ (desert oak trees). ‘Ngalyipi’ is a sacred vine to Napangardi and Napanangka women that has many uses. It can be used as a ceremonial wrap, as a strap to carry ‘parrajas’ (wooden bowls) that are laden with bush tucker and as a bandage for headaches.

The women began their travels at Mina Mina where ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) emerged from the ground. Taking these tools the women travelled east creating Janyinki and other sites. Their travels took them eventually further than Warlpiri country. The women used the karlangu to gather bush tucker on their travels.