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ELIZABETH NYUMI NUNGURRAYI (born circa 1947)
‘Parwalla’
Acrylic on Belgian linen
180 x 120 cm

This painting depicts the country known as Parwalla, which is Nyumi’s father’s country. This country is far to the south of Balgo in the Great Sandy Desert, west of Kiwirrkurra, and is dominated by tali (sand hills). Parwalla is a large swampy area, which fills with water after the wet season rain and consequently produces an abundance of bush foods. The majority of Nyumi’s painting shows the different bush foods, including kantjilyi (bush raisin), pura (bush tomato) and minyili (seed). Women, shown as the ‘U’ shapes, with their wana (digging sticks) and coolamons gathering the foods are also depicted. The white areas that dominate the painting represent the spinifex that grows strong and seeds after the wet season rains. These seeds are white in colour, and grow so thick that they obscure the ground and other plants below.

PROVENANCE
Warlayirti Artists, Balgo Hills, Western Australia, painted 2007,
Certificate number 498/07

Nyumi currently lives at Kururrungku (Billiluna), an outlying community from Balgo. Nyumi’s mother belonged to the country of Nynmi (Jupiter Well) near Kiwirrkurra on the Pintupi side. Tragically, she died quite young from a dingo bite at the Kanari soak water close to Jupiter Well. Her father was from Alyarra in the region of Natajarra. Nyumi was living a nomadic existence with her family group on the Canning Stock Route before walking into Old Mission with her father after her mother had died. Nyumi married a man called Palmer Gordon, who is now a senior Law Man of the Billiluna community. Both Nyumi and Palmer teach culture to the children at the school ensuring the traditional dances and songs are kept alive. Nyumi advises the nursing staff at the health clinic about traditional bush medicines and she is also knowledgeable about carving coolamons and digging sticks. She is an active member in the
community, being a strong law and culture woman.

REPRESENTED
National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth
The Laverty Collection, Sydney