Born:  c. 1933

Died:  2010

Language:  Pintupi / Luritja

Country:  Kaakurutinytja (Lake MacDonald), Western Australia

Narputta was born c. 1933 at Kaakurutinytja and, as a child, walked
hundreds of kilometres east with her father, Tjalakuny Tjampitjinpa and
her brother, Riley Major, to Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory. Haasts
Bluff was a cattle station, then a mission settlement until it became
the community of today. Tjalakuny returned to the desert and was killed
by another tribe near Muruntji and buried there.

Whilst still very young Narputta looked after the goats and camels
around Haasts Bluff and Jay Creek. When slightly older she began cooking
in the community, including for the local Aboriginal stockmen and the
many Pintupi groups arriving from the desert weak and sick.

Narputta married Timothy Jugadai Tjungurrayi who was the head
stockman until he began painting in the mid 1970’s by adapting the
traditional styles of the initial Papunya Tula artists and depicting
site mythologies for which he held responsibilities. They had eight
children including the renowned artist, Daisy Napaltjarri Jugadai, and
artist Molly Napaltjarri Jugadai.

Narputta began painting by assisting her husband until she began solo
work and becoming one of the founding artists of the Ikuntji Art Centre
at Haasts Bluff.

Narputta became one of the most important Western Desert women
artists and her stories are Lampintja, Kaakurutinytja, Muruntji and the
Tjukurrpa of two women ancestors travelling huge distances gathering
food and digging goannas from holes.   Kaarkurutinytja and Lampintja are
significant areas in the Creation time for being formed by a woman
digging for sand goannas and are a large salt pan and large mounds and
deep dips. Muruntji is an important story as it’s where Narputta’s
father was buried.

Narputta won the 1997 National Aboriginal Art Award in Darwin.

Whilst in Tingari Arts Narputta would often say to Linx Macpherson
that the two of them must travel to Muruntji to build a camel fence
around the area where her father was buried.

Narputta Nangala was a special woman, warm, fun and generous and she loved her family.

Collections include:

National Art Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria
Queensland Art Gallery
Art Gallery of South Australia
Darwin Museum & Art Galleries