AM 8183/11

This painting depicts the Wanampi landscape at the artist’s father’s country. Her father’s name was Ben Japanungka. This is a permanent spring with running water and representing home to a Dreamtime water snake (Wanampi) – a place of very good water with reeds about with bloodwood trees. This is the site generally known as Vaughan Springs, which has a number of permanent springs in the surrounding rocky outcrop. The area is often referred to by the name of the main spring which is Pikilyi – a spring which flows into a reed surrounded rock hole which in turn flows out along a reed and teatree lined creek. It was a Warlpiri people’s major fallback water source for survival in times of severe drought. The white overlaying circles are women’s body paint designs.