Lloyd Jampijinpa Brown / Emu Dreaming (1A)

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

Lloyd Brown is the grandson of Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, one of the founding artists of Warlukurlangu Artists and one of the main painters of the famous Yuendumu School Doors.

He was born in Alice Springs and has all of his life living in Yuendumu an Aboriginal settlement located 290kms north west of Alice Springs. Lloyds favourite pastime is singing in one of the local bands. He also loves playing football and is a keen supporter of the Yuendumu Magpies. He often goes out hunting for traditional animals with his family in the country surrounding Yuendumu.

He first started painting for the art centre on small canvas boards which are given to the school children as part of the art centre cultural maintenance program during the school holidays. He has been painting on canvas since 2002. He paints the stories that have been passed down to him for millenia, these stories relate directly to Lloyd’s traditional country, the animals and features which are commonly found in those places. Lloyd also helps out at the Art Centre, assisting with the preparation of art canvasses.

This particular site of the Yankirri Jukurrpa, (emu Dreaming) is at Ngarlikurlangu, north of Yuendumu. The ‘yankirri’ travelled to the rockhole at Ngarlikurlangu to find water. This Jukurrpa story belongs to Jangala/Jampijinpa men and Nangala/Nampijinpa women. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements.

Emus are usually represented by their ‘wirliya’ (footprints), arrow-like shapes that show them walking around Ngarlikurlangu eating ‘yakajirri’ (bush raisin). In the time of the Jukurrpa there was a fight at Ngarlikiurlangu between a ‘yankirri’ ancestor and Wardilyka (Australian bustard]) ancestors over sharing the ‘yakajirri’. There is also a dance for this Jukurrpa that is performed during initiation ceremonies.