Katrina Nampijinpa Brown / Seed Dreaming (1A)

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

Katrina Nampjinpa Brown was born on 28 March 1949 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km northwest of Alice Springs in NT of Australia. She has two sisters, Peggy and Violet Brown, and one brother, Johnny Brown. Her parents have both passed away. Katrina has five children and a number of grandchildren.

Katrina attended school in Yuendumu. After going to school, she worked in the Yuendumu clinic. Today Katrina paints at Warlukurlangu and likes to go hunting for fun. She likes to hunt for ‘ngarlkirdi’ (witchetty grubs) and ‘yunkaranyi’ (honey ants), both of which can be found around Yuendumu.

Katrina paints ‘ngapa Jukurrpa’ (water Dreaming), ‘yunkaranyi Jukurrpa’ (honey ant Dreaming), ‘watiyawarnu Jukurrpa’ (seed Dreaming), and ‘warlukurlangu Jukurrpa’ (fire country Dreaming). These Dreamings are located to the west of Yuendumu. The fire country Dreaming was also painted by her father.

This painting tells the story of a Jangala ‘watiya-warnu’ ancestor who travelled south from a small hill called Ngurlupurranyangu to Yamunturrngu (Mount Liebig). As he travelled he picked the ‘watiya-warnu’ seeds and placed them in ‘parrajas’ (food carriers), one of which he carried on his head. Watiya-warnu is a seed bearing tree that grows in open spinifex or mulga country.

When people returned to their camp after collecting the seeds they would make large windbreaks for shelter and winnow the seed in the late afternoon. Immature ‘watiya-warnu’ seed is ground into a paste and can be used to treat upset stomachs. The associated ‘watiya-warnu’ ceremony involves the preparation of a large ground painting.