Ngurlu (Grinding Seed), 2024
$650.00
This painting depicts Ngurlu – a grinding seed Dreaming story. Pigeons (kurlukuk – partridge pigeon, Geophaps smithii) gather the seeds into piles. In the olden days, the women used to make bread from the seeds of different grasses. The seed grains were collected and painstakingly winnowed in the coolamon. The seeds were then ground between a large flat stone and a smaller rounded stone to make flour. The women then cooked damper or small ‘johnnycakes’ from the flour in the hot coals.
Yuendumu:
Nakamarra/Napurrurla women and Jakamarra/Jupurrurla men. The Jukurrpa is associated with a place called Jaralypari, north of Yuendumu. Lukarrara is a species of Fimbristylis, a grass that bears edible seeds in the winter-time. The seeds are traditionally ground on a large stone (‘puturlu’) with a smaller stone (‘ngalikirri’) to make flour. This flour is mixed with water (‘ngapa’) to make small seed cakes. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. In paintings of this Jukurrpa large concentric circles are used to represent Jaralypari and dots surrounding these circles are often depicting the ‘ngurlu’.
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