Kelly Napanangka Michaels / Mina Mina Dreaming (1-25ny)

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

Kelly Napanangka Michaels was born in 1965 and lives in Yuendumu, an Aboriginal settlement located 290 kms north west of Alice Springs. She attended the local school in Yuendumu. She is married to Roy Jupurrurla Curtis, the local Indigenous Police Aid. They have four daughters. She is a grandmother and spends a lot of time caring for her grandchildren. As often as possible she travels to Nyirripi a settlement 160 kms west of Yuendumu where two of her daughters live.

Kelly has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation since 1987, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. She paints her Dreaming stories which are directly related to her traditional country, its land, features and animals such as Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), Marrjadi Jukurrpa (Ceremonial and Hairstring Dreaming) Karnta Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming) andYarla Jukurrpa (Bush Potato Dreaming). Kelly loves painting particularly her Mina Mina and Dancing patterns and designs. These patterns and designs depicting her stories have been passed down through her family for millennia.

Kelly loves to spend time hunting for traditional bush foods in the countryside surrounding Yuendumu and Nyirripi. She also loves playing softball and basketball and is a keen competitor at the annual Yuendumu Sports weekend.

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”