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Women Digging for Witchetty

Women planning their dig for Witchetty Grubs. They live in the roots of specific trees, and after it rains, they move up the chambers in which they live, to avoid drowning. Digging can be slow and complex. Women check the base of trees to see if there is any cracking on the upper root bases. The cracking is a way of telling if there might be witchetty living in that root. The process can take hours of very hard work, but the ladies are always completely rewarded when they find those witchetty grubs. 



Dimensions: 555 x 560 mm

Categories: Tangentyere Artists

Name: Isobelle Spencer Napaljarri

Language: Warlpiri

Biography:

Born in Yuendumu in 1953, Isobelle was born profoundly mute, and her sisters Winkie (born 1960), and April (born 1966) act as her translators. She lives Alice Springs, along with her sisters, and enjoys painting having learned from her brother, famous painter and NT police officer, Andrew Spencer Japaljarri, who passed away in 2015. The sisters' father, Walpajirri Jungarrayi, also called Jimmy Spencer, was a senior Law Man for Yarripilangu Karrinyarra, and an early Yuendumu artist.

Apart from the Wardapi [Goanna] Tjukurrpa that travels a long way south from Yarri pirlangku, her father’s country, she also paints Pamapardu [Flying Ant] Tjukurrpa, which is about Flying Ants emerging after rain, from her mother’s country near Nyirripi, as well as Emu Jukurrpa, and various other Bush Tucker Jukurrpa.

Isobelle paints in the classic Warlpiri style, and before joining Tangentyere Artists, sold most of her works through Jukurrpa artists’ co-operative.

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© the artist / art centre