Ningura Napurrula

Ningura Napurrula
(Australian Aboriginal, c.1938-)
Birthplace: Watulka, Western Australia
Language: Pintupi
Region: Kintore

Brief Biography:
Ningura Napurrula Gibson was born around 1938 at Watulka in Western Australia, south of the modern Kiwirrkura community, Ningura Napurrula moved to Papunya in the early days of the settlement with her husband Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi, a renowned artists and highly respected Pintupi elder who held significant knowledge of his countries Dreaming stories (now deceased). In 1996 she was part of a group of elderly women from Kintore and Kiwirrkura who began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in their own right. Characteristic of her work is a strong dynamism and rich linear design-compositions created with heavy layers of acrylic paint. Ningura Napurrula depict designs associated with the rock hole sites of Palturunya and Wirrulnga, east of the Kiwirrkura Community (Mount Webb) in Western Australia. The concentric circles represent rock holes and the arcs represent the higher rocky outcrops near the site. The U shapes represent women camped at the site. Ningura depicts the mythological events of her ancestors. Her artwork focuses on the travels of her female ancestors, the sacred sites that they passed, and the mythological significance of the bush tucker that they collected. In mythological times, one old woman, Kutunga Napanangka, passed through this site during her travels towards the east. She passed through numerous sites along the way before arriving at the permanent water site of Muruntji, south west of Mt. Leibig. These travels and rituals help to explain the current customs and the ceremonial lives of these Pintupi women.rnIn 2007, Ningura Napurrula is one of the 50 Australia's most collectable artists by the Australian Art Collector magazine.