Women's Dreaming

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjari

c. 1926

1998

Pintupi

Marnpi (South West of Mt Rennie), Northern Territory

Acrylic on Canvas, Linen and Board

Kangaroo, Dingo Dreaming, Rock Wallaby Dreaming, Women's Dreaming, Country, Mingajurra (Wild or Golden Bandicoot), Sand Hills, Tjapaltjarri Country, Mouse Dreaming, Mintjirrpiri Lake

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjari was a legend. One of the original group of talented Papunya Tula artists in the early 1970's, he made history with his art. Papunya Tula alone was referred to as 'arguably the most important movement in the history of Australian painting' and Mick was noted as being the most consistently brilliant of all the painters in the movement. His passion for the art and teaching his culture was admired by the art teachers and gallery owners of his day.

Born at the rockhole at Marnpi, the sandhill country south west of Mt Rennie, Mick Namarai grew up with the traditional nomadic lifestyle of his Pintupi people. The Pintupi people, and perhaps the majority of Central Desert aborigines, have stories that are passed down through senior members of the tribe, belonging to particular sites in their 'country'. The stories have explicit and implicit lessons for behaviour and living and such places are cared for and kept alive through ceremony and visitation. Mick would travel by foot with his family across the sand hills and hostile plains of the harsh central Australian desert, constantly visiting other communities and his sacred places in the Pintupi area.

At the age of six, Mick first came across white man when he and his family arrived at Haasts Bluff to collect rations of food. Haasts Bluff at this time was a ration depot for supplying food, namely flour, jam, honey, sugar and the old square tins of tobacco, to nomadic aborigines.

Initiated at Areyonga, south east of Haasts Bluff, Mick learnt through ceremony the sacred stories to which he belonged and spent much time at these sites. Stories for which he was known to be connected to were the Two Kangaroo Men which belonged to the site of Niert, Dingo Dreaming which belonged to the site of Ngueman and Wallaby which belonged to Wanardi. After initiation, Mick was a man in the eyes of his tribe and he began a new journey for himself. Haasts Bluff had recently become a cattle station and the owners were looking for new recruits from the aboriginal population. White people were few and far between for most of the cattle stations in the outback and the aboriginals had a deep knowledge of the land. Mick was employed and took up residence at the station, where he also married his first wife. After some time, and being well trained, Mick later became a stockman at Areyonga and also Tempe Downs (South of Areyonga).