Marlette Napurrurla Ross / Brush-tail Possum Dreaming (2A)

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

Marlette lives in Yuendumu, an Aboriginal community located 290kms North West of Alice Springs. She lives in Yuendumu with her large extended family.

Marlette has been painting through Warlukurlangu Artists since 1992. Marlette paints the traditional stories that have been passed down to her by her ancestors, these stories relate directly to her country and the features of the land and animals found in those places.

Apart from painting Marlette also works at the local childcare “Kurdu Kurdu Kurlangu’ which is the best indigenous childcare in Australia. She is also raising her grandson Caymon. In her spare time she also likes to go out hunting in the country surrounding Yuendumu for traditional tucker including goanna, wild fruits.

‘Janganpa’ or brush tail possums are nocturnal animals that live and nest in white gum trees. Janganpa Jukurrpa (common brush-tail possum Dreaming) travels all over Warlpiri country. This story is about a group of “janganpa” from a big hill called Mawurrji, west of Yuendumu and north of Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs). The family of ‘janganpa’ ancestors lived there. Each night they would go out in hunting forf food. They went to Wirlki and Wanapirdi, where they found ‘pamapardu’ (flying ants). They travelled on to Ngarlkirdipini looking for water. A Nampijinpa women was living at Mawurrji with her two daughters. She gave her daughters in marriage to a Jupurrurla ‘janganpa’ but later decided to run away with them. The Jupurrurla furiously ran after the women. He pursued them to Mawurrji where he killed them with a stone axe. Their bodies are now rocks at this place.