Women talking about collecting bush food – where the best places are and the best times, whether seasonal or dependent on rain events – All the women sit with their digging sticks and piti’s [coolamons] around the hearth to talk about these aspects of collecting bush food.
Name: Maggie Nakamarra Corby
Language: Warlpiri, Pintupi
Community: Alice Springs
Biography:
Maggie Kumanti Nakamarra (born 1951) and her sister, Narlie (born 1948) were born at Ikuntji [Haasts Bluff], the eldest daughters of renowned Papunya Tula artist Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula and his first wife Merewenjina Napanangka. After Merewenjina’s death, Johnny married Gladys (Yawintji) Napanangka and Narlie and Maggie grew up with their six half-siblings, the Nelsons: Michael, Dennis, Emma, Candy, Minnie, and another who passed away. They all eventually moved to Papunya.
Warangkula Tjupurrrula’s country was Mingilpirri, Kalipimpinpa, Ilpili and Tjikari. He held the Manngirri Tjukurrpa - Lightning Men throw jagged lightning that strikes trees, burning them. Maggie's father was a senior Law man, Rainmaker, and Custodian of the Water Dreaming and important site of Kalipinypa, where Wirnpa the Lightning Boss sang up a huge storm and created a series of waterholes, which now mark his songline. Maggie's father was well known for his paintings of the Storm Dreaming at Kalipinypa, producing many variations of Kalipinypa in 1971–1972, the time of an unusual season of flooding rains and its ensuing regeneration of plant life in the Papunya area. This season of abundance caused the song cycles of the Water Dreaming performed in ritual to resonate in the imagination of many Papunya artists.
Maggie and her sister Narlie Nelson carry the Lightning Women Tjukurrpa in which they cause sheet lightning that lights up behind the clouds. They learnt the stories of Kalipinypa which they mostly paint from their father, although they each represent this famous subject in their own way.
Maggie Nakamarra married David Corby Tjapaltjarri from the Granites west of Yuendumu, one of the youngest of the founding group of painters at Papunya. David Corby belonged to the Ngaliya and Warlpiri people and lived from 1940 to 1980. His brother was Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri. He and his brother have a monumental story of their father's dreaming east of Yuendumu. David was adopted by the Karrinyarra family after the Coniston massacre.
David Big Kupirana Corby worked as a stockman before joining the early group of artists at Papunya. One of the youngest of the group, he was influenced in his work by his father-in-law. He travelled with exhibitions to New Zealand and Nigeria, and was artist-in-residence at Flinders University in South Australia in 1979. He drowned in a flooded creek on his way back to Papunya shortly after being elected chairman of Papunya Tula Artists in 1980. David was Johnny Warrangkula's son in law, and Warrangkula’s influence was strong on both David Corby’s work and that of his brother. Maggie and David had five children including Watson Corby Tjungurrayi also an artist.
Maggie and her family were part of the five Toyotas that travelled back out to Kiwirrkurra in 1981. They had nothing for many years, but they again lived on their Country. After shifting between Mt Liebig, Papunya, Kintore and Kiwirrkurra, Maggie has moved to Alice Springs in her senior years, to receive ongoing support. Maggie paints at Tangentyere Artists daily.
Status: Stock Tampe – Bread Bag Town Camp Designs is a 100% Aboriginal-owned initiative belonging to Tangentyere, Yarrenyty Arltere and Ewyenper Atwatye Artists. Through this purchase you are directly supporting Town Camp Artists to maintain and Read more…
Honey Ants This painting is about women digging for Honey Ants. They are sweet as sweet… but hard work to reach. People call them all sorts – Yerrampe, Tjupi, Agkwarle, Tjala… all one thing!
Kwerlpe Tjukurrpa This painting is about a Arrernte Wati [man] meeting an Arrernte mother and her daughters. The mother asks the Wati if he wants to marry her daughters because they are the right skin for Read more…