JWA609 Cushion Cover Wool

This artwork depicts the Jukurrpa (Dreaming) of Mina Mina, a sacred site far west of Yuendumu. It holds great significance for Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men, all custodians of the Dreaming that created this land.

The story follows a group of ancestral women of all ages who travelled east from Mina Mina, gathering bush food, collecting ngalyipi (snake vine – Tinospora smilacina), and performing ceremonies. Their journey, which created key landmarks including Janyinki, extended far beyond Warlpiri country.

At Mina Mina, karlangu (digging sticks) emerged from the ground. With these, the women set out across the land. The ngalyipi vine, central to this story, climbs the trunks of kurrkara (desert oak – Allocasuarina decaisneana) and serves many purposes: as a ceremonial wrap, a carrying strap for parrajas (wooden bowls) filled with bush tucker, and even as a traditional medicine.

In the painting, wavy lines represent the snake vine, ‘U’ shapes symbolize the women, circles indicate edible mushrooms collected along the journey, and two parallel lines stand for the digging sticks.