Serita Nakamarra Ross / Flying Ant Dreaming – Warntungurru (6322-23)

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

Serita Ross was born in Alice Springs, NT and grew up in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290kms north-west of Alice Springs. She was raised by Tess Ross and Jack Jakamarra Ross who was one of the founding artists of Warlukrulangu Artists. Serita attended the school in Yuendumu. She is married with one daughter, Shemaiah.

Serita has been painting for Warlukurlangu Artists, an Aboriginal owned and controlled art centre located in Yuendumu since 2002. She paints the Dreaming stories which include Wardapi (Goanna), Yarla (Bush Potato) and Pamapardu (Flying Ant) passed down to her by her mother and father and their parents before them. These stories relate directly to Serita’s traditional country. Apart from raising her daughter which takes a lot of her time, Serita also loves to go hunting for traditional bush tucker with her family.

This painting depicts the Pamapardu Jukurrpa (Flying Ant Dreaming) from Warntungurru, west of Yuendumu. ‘Pamapardu’ is the Warlpiri name for the flying ants or termites that build the large anthills found throughout Warlpiri country. This country belongs to Nakamarra/Napurrurla women and Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. ‘Pamapardu’ are flying ants. They build earth mounds (‘mingkirri’) that are common in the Tanami area. When heavy rains come in summer the ‘mingkirri’ get flooded out, so the ‘pamapardu’ grow wings and fly off to make new homes, following their queens to dry mounds or to build a new. When they have found their new home they drop their wings. In this stage they can be collected, lightly cooked in coals and eaten. As they fall to the ground women collect them to eat because they are nice and sweet.

In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. When this Jukurrpa story is painted concentric circles are used to represent the ‘mingkirri’ and the rockholes involved in the story, including the central one at Wapurtali (Mt Singleton). Dashes are often depicted around the circles to represent the ‘pamapardu’.