Ngarlu Jukurrpa (Love Story Dreaming) 563/05 (M)

The Dreaming site of Miinypa or Yanyilingi is Ngarlu, meaning "red rock", country east of Yuendumu. A Jungarrayi man called Lintipilinti who lived at Ngarlu fell in love with a Napangardi woman, a taboo relation as the women was his skin mother-in-law. This relation is forbidden to him under the Warlpiri skin system. Lintipilinti fell in love with the Napangardi woman when he saw her make a huge hole in the ground when she urinated. Lintipilinti was very impressed and aroused by this and began to wonder how he could win the Napangardi. He went to Ngarlu and made hair string for her, singing as he worked. Paddy has depicted the hair string spindel 'wirigy' by the 4 black shapes in the corners of this painting.


The Napangardi woman could not sleep and felt strange in her stomach, she felt sick. She realised someone was singing for her. A little bird visited her everyday taking Jungarrayi's songs to her. That bird can still be heard sometimes in the bush - it helps people find certain bush foods. It also talks to people when they are sad, lonely or in danger. Lines on the canvas represent the force of the song pulling the Napangardi woman to Lintipilinti. When the two lovers met again and made love they turned to stone, as their relationship was taboo in the Warlpiri skin system. The place where they turned to stone can still be seen at Ngarlu today.

This artwork is currently available at Bluethumb's Melbourne Gallery in Richmond.

Follow

Paddy Japaljarri Stewart was from Mungapunju, just south of Yuendumu. When he was a young man he was a station worker at Mt Allen, Mt Dennison and up the top end. He worked as a chef in Papunya, hence his nickname ‘Cookie’. Cookie worked at the Yuendumu school teaching young kids, both kardiya and yapa (non aboriginal and aboriginal). He taught painting, jukurrpa (dreaming), tracking (dingo, kangaroo, goanna etc…), how to make wax for the sand painting, dancing, making boomerangs and many other important culture traditions. Each day Paddy drove the school bus that collected the kids. He was also involved in the council and in Night Patrol. He was previously the chairman for the Warlukurlangu Artists Committee, and painted regularly including working on the Yuendumu School Doors.

In 1988 Paddy Stewart was selected by The Power Gallery, Sydney University to travel to Paris with five other Warlpiri men from Yuendumu to create a ground painting installation at the exhibition ‘Magiciens de la Terre’ at the Centre Georges Pompidou. The trip took place in May 1989 and the painting was received with world wide acclaim. Paddy Japaljarri Stewart exhibited artwork throughout Australia & around the world; including exhibitions in France, USA, Germany, UK, French Polynesia & Amsterdam.

Paddy Japaljarri Stewart is featured in the collections of Major Art Institutions in Australia and around the world.