Charlotte Phillipus Napurrula 185-21

This print depicts Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa, a sacred site north-east of the remote Aboriginal community of Kintore, Northern Territory. The painting tells the story of the rain and hail making ceremony for the site of Kalipinypa. Ancestral forces are invoked to bring on a powerful storm with lightning, thunderclouds and rain, which sends a deluge to rejuvenate the earth, filling the rock holes, clay pans and creeks and creating new life and growth upon the land. Today the Nakamarra, Tjakamarra, Napurrula and Tjupurrula men and women are the custodians of this important Water Dreaming site and celebrate its stories in the ceremonies. This painting is created in a different way to Charlottes usual style as she has depicted rain clouds and hail stones. During the 1980’s the Papunya Literature production centre operated out of the Papunya School. The program was founded through a value of bilingual education and during the project's time its cohort published over 500 bilingual titles using an acquired offset printing machine, photographic equipment and darkroom. Among its collective were many Papunya Tjupi artists including Kumanytjayi Nangala, Charlotte Phillipus, Narlie Nelson, Dennis Nelson and Linda Anderson and the sons and daughters of the original founding artists in Papunya. The group published a variety of stories including traditional tales, snapshots of life as well as early educational tools. It is from this rich history that these artists have drawn on to produce new works and reflections of Papunya’s print history old and new.