Biography:
"Karnampirri. My Martu name is Karnampirri. I was born in the Gibson Desert, a pujiman (traditional, desert dweller) by the Karnampirri Hill in the North, near the edge of the hill at Purtanpurru. We lived there for a long time, staying until I learned how to crawl. Through Karlamilyi, through Yantikuji, my mother looked after me there. Two mothers and six sisters. They used to look after me while my two mothers went hunting. I am connected to [this] Country. Visiting this Country makes me feel happy. It's important to me to keep this really good feeling here. When I was learning to walk I was too young to understand that our family was travelling through many lands.
Now we want to show the younger generation and teach them. They want to see their grandparents' Country so they can know it too. The young generation needs to keep visiting my Country. When they do they'll ask "Whose water place is this?" Someone who knows the Country will say, "This belonged to your grandmother. It's your grandmother and grandfather's ngurra (home camp, Country)." Listen and you will learn.
My mother told me these [the following] story, and my sisters. One day as we travelled to a place where there was a lot of minyarra (bush onion) we saw a camel standing to the north. They were all wild camels and as we were watching it rushed down towards us! Cheeky one, really cheeky one and that camel was chasing us! Someone was yelling, "Run fast, run fast. Climb a tree!" Everyone was scared as it was running towards us. I was at the back of the group, and [my sister Kuji Goodjie] Rosie came and grabbed me and rushed to the tree. She pushed me up into the tree. "Climb, climb!"
When we climbed out of the tree it was already late in the afternoon. I was really frightened! They [the elders] lit a fire and all our dingoes chased the camels further away. As the sun set my sisters took me for a walk to the west to look for lunki (witchetty grubs). We went and tried to set up camp but we couldn't sleep.
- Reena Rogers, as translated by Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa
Karnampirri was born near Tarl, a spring located at the southern end of the large salt lake, Nyayartakujarra (Lake Dora), and at the south of Punmu Aboriginal community. Her ngurra (home Country, camp) encompasses the Karlamilyi (Rudall River) region, where she lived and travelled with her family as a child.
Karnampirri has two sons and one daughter, living today between Newman, Punmu and Port Hedland. Karnampirri primarily paints her mother's Country, the Percival Lakes region. She also paints her father's Country, further south in the area surrounding Kunawarritji Aboriginal community.
