Ngapa (Water Dreaming) at Jila Well, 2003 by Rachel Jurra Napaltjarri 61x61cm 7809RN

"Ngapa (Water Dreaming) at Jila Well," painted in 2003 by Rachel Jurra Napaltjarri, features the classic iconography of the Ngapa Tjukurrpa (Water Dreaming). Sinuous lines cross the painting, symbolising running water, a vital life force in the desert. Concentric circles depict waterholes, while U-shapes represent women of the Napaltjarri kinship group beside their water carriers. Large arc shapes illustrate windbreaks. The background is abundant with bush foods and flowers, depicting the landscape's richness after a good rain.

Rachel Napaltjarri, born in 1961 near Jila Well in Central Australia's Western Desert, was a proud Warlpiri woman who loved hunting and dancing. Her work captures the essence of her cultural heritage. She began painting in 1985 while attending a literacy course at the Institute of Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs, alongside close Warlpiri friends Audrey Martin Napanangka, Eunice Napangardi, Polly Napangardi, and Dorothy Napangardi.

Rachel was married to the late musician Isaac Yama and lived between Yuendumu and Hidden Valley, a town camp on the edge of Alice Springs. Her Dreaming totems included the Green Parrot, Pirki (Cave), Yarla, and Kangaroo.