Lizzie Nungarrayi Spencer / Goanna Dreaming – Yarripilangu (15-25ny)

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

Lizzie Nungarrayi Spencer was born in 1985 in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is the daughter of Caroline Nakamarra Gibson and the grand-daughter of Nancy Napanangka Gibson, both artists working with Warlukurlangu Art Centre. Lizzie was brought up in Nyirripi, an Aboriginal community located a further 150 kms west-south-west of Yuendumu. She attended the local Primary School then moved to Alice Springs where she attended Yirara College, of the Finke River Mission, a boarding school for Indigenous students 12 years and older from remote communities. When she completed her schooling she returned to Nyirripi and worked at the Nyirripi Shop. She is married and has two boys who attend the local school. Lizzie is furthering her studies and will be working for the school soon.

Lizzie has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2009. Warlukurlangu makes regular visits to Nyirripi to drop off canvas, paint and brushes for the artists and to collect finished artwork. Lizzie paints her father’s Wardapi (Goanna) Jukurrpa from an area to the east of Yuendumu called Yarumayi, and her Grandmother’s Mina Mina Jukurrpa, a place far to the west of Yuendumu. Lizzie likes painting, ït’s good to do painting…its very relaxing”.

When Lizzie is not painting or looking after her two boys she likes to play basketball or go hunting for goanna with her family.

Goanna Dreaming comes from Yarripilangku, south-west of Yuendumu. It tells the story of a group of Karnta (Warlpiri women) that were sitting down in a circle. A man from Mt. Theo, of the Japangardi skin group named Wamaru, came up to the women. He wanted to take a girl of the wrong skin, a Nungarrayi. He took the Nungarrayi woman, named Yurlkurinyi, and went up the hill where they made love. Then the earth turned to Ngunjungunju (ochre which is pictured here in the hills) and the man turned himself and all the ‘karnta’ (women) into ‘wardapi’ (goannas). The ochre is still found on top of the hill and is used today for love magic and for ceremonial decoration. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi/Jungarrayi subsections. It also belongs to people from Mt Theo of the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections.