Gayle Napangardi Gibson / Mina Mina Dreaming (3A)

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

Gayle Napangardi Gibson was born in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. Gayle attended the local school, where she loved studying English and playing sport. After finishing school she went to Batchelor College in Darwin where she trained to become a Teacher’s Aid. Upon returning to Yuendumu she worked at the local school before moving to Nyirripi in 1980. She married Teddy Jakamarra Gibson and they have three daughters who are now grown up, ‘One fellow and five grand children’. She has other family members living in Yuendumu and Lajamanu. Gayle has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu since 2006. “I just came out one day, and the truck from Yuendumu was there delivering canvas and I decided I wanted to paint”. Gayle mainly paints her Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming) from her father’s side. But “sometimes I do my mother’s Dreaming and sometimes I paint patterns and designs.” When Gayle’s not painting or looking after her grandchildren she likes to hunt for Bush tucker.

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. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, connected sites and other elements. The main theme used in paintings of these Dreaming are the karlangu‟