Narrabri Nakamarra

Date of birth:     c1950
Skin Name:        Nakamarra
Language:         Pintupi
Region:             Kintore
Area:                Central Western Desert, NT

Women’s Ceremony

Aboriginal women have their own ceremonies in which a series of song and dance cycles tell of the Ancestral Beings who walked the earth teaching women's law and ceremony to isolated groups living throughout the desert. Each tribe has its own set of women ancestors with different stories, designs and dances, but most of the ceremonies have one theme common to all groups - that of food gathering as the most important part of women's lives. Men also can depict women's dreamings, but they frown on women painting men's ceremonies.

The song and dance cycles mainly revolve around bush tucker, such as yam, banana, wild tomato, plum, onions, honey ants, witchetty grubs, nuts and berries. In their paintings they also depict the implements they use, including digging sticks, grinding stones, and coolamons for carrying. The abstract figures they show are the same as those painted by men. For example, a 'U' shape represents a person or groups of people sitting down with crossed legs. A larger 'U' indicates a windbreak. Concentric circles can represent a campsite, stone, waterhole or fire. The exact imprint of human feet or animal paws depicts tracks of humans, emus, possums, kangaroos etc. During the ceremonies the women will paint their bodies and breasts in various designs which represent the particular ceremony being performed. Mostly these are curved or straight lines, including circles and squares.

Narrabri’s paintings often depict designs associated with the rockhole site of Payarrnga, with the sandhills, rock formations and watercourses surrounding the area, and with the Lungkata or Blue Tongue Lizard Dreaming connected with the area.