Susan Gibson Napaltjarri depicts stories of the Pintupi Tingari Dreamtime, which were handed down to her from her mother Ningura Napurulla and the other women of her community.
Her works typically depict the Birthing Ceremony. During this ceremony, the newborn baby is bathed in smoke from the camp fire, wherein the child is held near the fire and the smoke is fanned over them. The women are not permitted to watch the ceremony and are given the task of collecting the bush food while this is taking place. Only the baby’s mother, aunties and grandmother are obliged present. The women are then sent away to wait for the ceremony to finish. This is a very important and sacred ceremony, as this smoking ceremony wards off evil spirits from the nearby salt lake. If the ceremony is not performed the child will be stolen by the spirits and never seen again.
