Mary Napangardi Brown

This painting tells the story of the ‘kurrkara’ tree (Desert Oak [Allocasuarina decaisneana]) commonly found in many parts of the central desert of Australia. The ‘kurrkara’ tree is the shade tree where the women in this painting sat down to rest at Mina Mina, which is an important ceremonial place belonging to Japanangka/Japangardi men and Napanangka/Napangardi women. Mina Mina and the associated land are to the west of Yuendumu in the sandhill country. Napanangka and Napangardi women are shown here collecting ‘jintiparnta’ (edible fungus [Elderia arenivaga]) at Kanta Karlangu, an area that is also called Mina Mina. Ancestral women travelled from here to the north through Janyinki and other places then to the east to Alcoota country. There are a number of ‘mulju’ (water soakages) and a clay pan at Mina Mina and it is here that the women danced and performed various ceremonies. As a result ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) rose up out of the ground and it is these implements that the women carried with them on their long journey east. The women danced and sang the whole way, with no sleep. The women collected other types of bush tucker as ‘yakajirri’ (desert raisin [Solanum centrale]).