This work is from Doris Bush Nungarrayi's series Kanyintjaku Tjukurrpa (Holding Story).

This work is about both a memory Doris has and a Tjukurrpa (dreaming) story, of a place called Nyunmanu. Doris lived here for many years.

The memory is 'Anangu tjuta at Nyunmanu' - lots people living in a cave. Watis (men), kungkas & pipirri (children).

There is lots of minkulpa (bush tobacco) growing in this cave. Older kungkas are telling young kungkas to dance. Snakes and goannas were speared and eaten as a meal. Everyone is taking minkulpa and sleeping heavy.

Another memory Doris has of this place, is her and her husband walking a very long way to this place. They were looking for water but could not find any and her husband got sick in this cave. They didn’t have a fire, it was too dangerous. Doris says 'this place can make you go mad'.

Nyunmanu is a Dingo Tjukurrpa site just to the south east of the remote Aboriginal community of Kintore in the Northern Territory. Most of the dingoes and their pups from this place rose up into the sky and became stars.

However, the ancestral mother Dingo and her pup had gone out hunting and were too tired to rise up, so they turned into a large rock that marks the place of this sacred Dreaming.

It is said that if you sleep in this place you will dream of the ancestral dingo puppies. The story goes that if you remove one of the gleaming stones found at Nyunmanu, the puppies will haunt your dreams until you return it to the place where it belongs. The custodians of this Tjukurrpa are Nungarrayi, Tjungarrayi, Napaltjarri and Tjapaltjarri women and men.

The circles in this story often represent important waterholes. The roundels extending from the circles are the designs the women paint on their breasts during ceremony.

About the artist:

Doris Bush was born in Haasts Bluff/Ikuntji circa 1942 and was married to the late George Bush Tjangala, one of Papunya Tula Artists’ original shareholders. In the mid 1980’s the family went to live on an outstation at Nyunmanu in Doris’ mother’s country out towards the WA/NT border. Doris continues to paint Nyunmanu and the traditional Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) of this place, Dingo Dreaming.

Doris also paints vivid memories, stories and dreams from her life, with her work often telling happy stories from her early days in Ikuntji; eating, hunting and swimming with her friends and family in the bush. Doris’ works embody her nature of a true storyteller with her expressive style, bold use of colour and recognisable motifs. Doris is renowned as one of the most prolific and enthusiastic artists in the community and is usually the first to arrive each morning when - or even before - the doors open.

She is the Winner of 2023 Sulman Prize and is a finalist for the 2023 Wynne Prize, 2020 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize (2019) and shortlisted in the Alice Art Prize (2018). Her work is held in the Artbank Collection, Macquarie Bank Collection, AGNSW, University of Western Sydney Collection, The Hassall Collection and private collections.

About Papunya Tjupi Arts:

Papunya Tjupi Arts is an Aboriginal owned, community-based enterprise, representing over 100 artists. We encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills to foster self-determination and cultural development. This is done through arts practice, community activities, meaningful employment and training opportunities. All proceeds are split between the artists and the funding of further community projects.