Jean Nampajimpa

Jean Nampajinpa was born c 1958 near Yuelumu, NW of Alice Springs, and learnt Fire, Kangaroo and Emu Dreamings from her father, who worked as a stockman at Mt. Allan. From her mother's side she learnt various Bush Tucker Dreamings, including Bush Onion and other Women’s Bush Tucker or food stories.

Fire Dreaming and Water Dreaming are passed on by fathers to young women and men of the Nampajinpa and Tjampitjinpa skin groups of the Warlukurlangu (Yuendumu) region.

In the Dreaming (sacred myth) Tjampitjinpa men use magic fire sticks made of mulga wood to light bushfires. The centres of the roundels represent the fires while the outer circles depict flames and grey smoke.

U-shapes are Jangala men who escape the flames and flee south before returning to face punishment from their father, Tjampitjinpa.

Fire-farming is the strategic use of burning to promote regrowth, fertility and the proliferation of animals is important in the Aboriginal economy in arid areas of Australia, and many Dreaming stories involve fire.
Story elements include the seated Nampajinpa Women (u shapes) with their traditional Mulga wood coolamon bowl and digging stick. Concentric circles represent sites where the women dig for yams, “yulka” or wild onion and witchetty grubs found in the roots of this tree. The background colours represent the desert sands and also link to her Fire Dreaming story from her Father’s side.