Sabrina Napanangka Lewis / Mina Mina Dreaming (1B)

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

Sabrina Napanangka Lewis was born in Billiluna Community, a remote Aboriginal community on the Canning Stock Route, not too far from the Tanami Track in WA. It is located 147km south of Halls Creek and 593km north-west of Yuendumu. When she was a little girl she moved to Balgo, an Aboriginal community in Western Australia, with her parents and grew up there. She moved to Yuendumu in 2007 to live with her husband’s extended family. She has three daughters and one son. She also has a dog called Hot Dog.

She has been painting regularly for Warlukurlangu Artists since 2007. She mainly paints her Jukurrpa stories, Dreamings significant to Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men, who are the custodians of the Dreamings, such as Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), Yurrampi Jukurrpa (Honey Ant Dreaming) and Pikilyi Jukurrpa (Vaughan Springs Dreaming). These stories relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. They were passed down to her by her father and his father’s father before him for millennia. She uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture.

Apart from looking after her five children she works at Kurdu Kurdu Kurlangu, the local childcare centre. Sabrina loves swimming.

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‟