Jeanie Napangardi Lewis / Mina Mina Dreaming (8305-22)

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

Jeanie Napangardi Lewis was born around 1950 on Mount Doreen Station, an extensive cattle breeding station in the Northern Territory.

Jeanie’s traditional country is Mina Mina, west of Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia and close to Mount Doreen Station. Jeanie’s family lived in and around Mina Mina before moving to Yuendumu, and then Nyirrpi where she has lived for many years. She has two sisters, Phyllis and Valerie and two children, a son Eric and a daughter Minnie Napangardi. She is now married to Mickey Jampijinpa Singleton, an artist who also paints with Warlukurlangu Artists.

Jeanie has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation since 2005, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. She paints her Dreaming stories but the one that features constantly is Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming). Her paintings are of her country. In her paintings she depicts birds, trees and bush potatoes around small waterholes in Mina Mina. She continues to paint through the art centre whenever she visits Yuendumu from Nyirripi or when canvas and paint is dropped off in Nyirripi for artists working with Warlukurlangu.

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‟