Nora Nagarra

Nora was born and grew up in Rijal Country, which is known as Turner Station. Turner Station lies in Western Australia near the Northern Territory border. Joorrum Country is also Nora’s country, and both Joorrum and Rijal are the subject of Nora’s paintings.

As a young girl Nora worked on the station doing domestic work like washing clothes, milking cows and making butter. When she grew older she worked as a cook in the stock camps, and says this was very hard work.

Nora moved to Halls Creek with her family “when “the government bin come and take all the country”. This was when equal pay for Aboriginal workers was introduced in the late 1960s and many Aboriginal people were forced to leave the stations.

Nora started painting when she was living in Halls Creek, where she did some work with the Halls Creek School.

Nora moved to Warmun and now paints with the Warmun Art Centre. She is now the custodian of the Bungle Bungles, having taken over from Jack Britten after his passing in 2004.