Roxanne Nungarrayi Martin / Desert Fringe-rush Seed Dreaming (3A)

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

Roxanne Nungarrayi Martin was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. She grew up in Yuendumu and attended the local school. In 2009 she began working at the local Childcare Centre, which is the only fully operational childcare centre in an Aboriginal community in Australia. She is married and has two children.

Roxanne has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation in Yuendumu since 2002. She paints her traditional Dreaming stories that have been passed down to her by her parents and their parents before them for millennia. All these stories relate directly to Roxanne’s traditional country, its features and the plants and animals that live on the land.

This Jukurrpa belongs to women of the Nakamarra / Napurrurla subsections and to Jakamarra / Jupurrurla men. This Dreaming is associated with a place called Jaralypari, north of Yuendumu. Lukarrara (desert fringe-rush) is a grass with an edible seed. The seeds are traditionally ground on a large stone (‘ngatinyanu’) with a smaller stone (‘ngalikirri’) to make flour. This flour is mixed with water (‘ngapa’) to make damper cakes which are cooked and eaten. In Warlpiri traditional paintings iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. Large concentric circles often represent the site of Jaralypari and also the seed bearing grass Lukurrara. ‘U’ shapes can depict the Karnta (women) collecting ‘lukarrara’ and straight lines are frequently used to portray seeds that fall down to the ground and are also collected by women using their ‘parrajas’ (wooden food carriers) and ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks).