Women’s Ceremony

Fiona Young Napanangka was born near Pungkupirri waterhole near Tjukurla in Western Australia. She lived in Docker River and Warakurna before moving to Tjukurla with her husband Adrian Young (deceased), their children and extended family. She grew up in this country and feels a deep connection to the land and the traditional way of life in this harsh region. Her technique has been taught to her by her mother, Tjawina Porter Nampitjinpa and Tjawina’s sisters Mrs Bennett, Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa, and Esther Giles Nampitjinpa, who are all considered to be established Western Desert artists.
Fiona is a Ngaanyatjarra woman, with a great wealth of cultural knowledge and love for her country. Her paintings depict the dreaming of her country through beautifully intricate explorations of line and space.
In her paintings, Fiona depicts the area of her birthplace. There are various campsites and ceremonial sites with people sometimes being represented by U shapes.
It is at these campsites that dreamtime stories are told and ceremonies conducted. The different colours represent the land and the various bush food, medicine, rockhole’s and sand hills.