Our tote bags feature a screen-printed design by Tjanpi artist and NPY Women's Council Chairperson Margaret Smith of Imanpa, Northern Territory. They are made with a durable cotton canvas and include an inner pocket. This product was designed and produced in collaboration with Contain Design Studio.

Margaret has been weaving since 2014 and quickly refined her artistic skills to create high-calibre baskets and sculptures. Margaret has developed a very unique and quirky style and often experiments with different animal sculptures such as cats and horses. She has taken part in many exhibitions, some of which include Fragrant Lands: Australian and Chinese Indigenous Art at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, 2014, Animal Instinct at Metropolis Gallery, Geelong, Victoria 2016, Tales from the Desert at Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery in Port Hedland, Western Australia, 2016 and Vincent Lingiari Art Award at the Tangentyere Gallery in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 2019.

Alongside being an accomplished artist, Margaret has played a crucial role in NPY Women’s Council as a board member and advocate for many years. She is currently the NPY Women's Council Chairperson. Margaret studied interpreting in Alice Springs and became one of the very first Anangu accredited interpreters. Margaret is a highly regarded spokesperson for the NPY region, as well as a former Liaison Officer of Imanpa Arts and Crafts. She has been a member of a number of boards and committees including the Board of Management of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Cross-border Reference Group on Volatile Substance Misuse.

Our tote bags feature a screen-printed design by Tjanpi artist and NPY Women's Council Chairperson Margaret Smith of Imanpa, Northern Territory. They are made with a durable cotton canvas and include an inner pocket. This product was designed and produced in collaboration with Contain Design Studio.

Product Details:
Size: 420mm (W) x 420mm (H) x 60mm Bottom Gusset
Fabric: Cotton Canvas 12oz
Handle Size: 35mm (W) x 650mm (L)
Handle Fabric: Cotton webbing - 1.8mm thickness
Internal Pocket Size: 210mm (W) x 250mm (H)

More on artist Margaret Smith:
Margaret Smith is an artist belonging to the Yankunytjatjara language and cultural group from the remote community of Imanpa, Northern Territory.

Margaret has been weaving since 2014 and quickly refined her artistic skills to create high-calibre baskets and sculptures. Margaret has developed a very unique and quirky style and often experiments with different animal sculptures such as cats and horses. She has taken part in many exhibitions, some of which include Fragrant Lands: Australian and Chinese Indigenous Art at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, 2014, Animal Instinct at Metropolis Gallery, Geelong, Victoria 2016, Tales from the Desert at Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery in Port Hedland, Western Australia, 2016 and Vincent Lingiari Art Award at the Tangentyere Gallery in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 2019.

Alongside being an accomplished artist, Margaret has played a crucial role in NPY Women’s Council as a board member and advocate for many years. She is currently the NPY Women's Council Chairperson. Margaret studied interpreting in Alice Springs and became one of the very first Anangu accredited interpreters. Margaret is a highly regarded spokesperson for the NPY region, as well as a former Liaison Officer of Imanpa Arts and Crafts. She has been a member of a number of boards and committees including the Board of Management of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Cross-border Reference Group on Volatile Substance Misuse.

Our zip pouches feature a screen-printed design by Tjanpi artist and NPY Women's Council Chairperson Margaret Smith of Imanpa, Northern Territory. They are made with a durable cotton canvas and include binding at the zipper ends to make opening and closing the pouch smooth and sturdy. This product was designed and produced in collaboration with Contain Design Studio.

Product Details:
Size: 170mm (W) x 140mm (H) 
Fabric: Cotton Canvas 12oz
Zipper: 5 gauge - YKK nylon coil zipper

More on artist Margaret Smith:
Margaret Smith is an artist belonging to the Yankunytjatjara language and cultural group from the remote community of Imanpa, Northern Territory.

Margaret has been weaving since 2014 and quickly refined her artistic skills to create high-calibre baskets and sculptures. Margaret has developed a very unique and quirky style and often experiments with different animal sculptures such as cats and horses. She has taken part in many exhibitions, some of which include Fragrant Lands: Australian and Chinese Indigenous Art at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, 2014, Animal Instinct at Metropolis Gallery, Geelong, Victoria 2016, Tales from the Desert at Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery in Port Hedland, Western Australia, 2016 and Vincent Lingiari Art Award at the Tangentyere Gallery in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 2019.

Alongside being an accomplished artist, Margaret has played a crucial role in NPY Women’s Council as a board member and advocate for many years. She is currently the NPY Women's Council Chairperson. Margaret studied interpreting in Alice Springs and became one of the very first Anangu accredited interpreters. Margaret is a highly regarded spokesperson for the NPY region, as well as a former Liaison Officer of Imanpa Arts and Crafts. She has been a member of a number of boards and committees including the Board of Management of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Cross-border Reference Group on Volatile Substance Misuse.

Our zip pouches feature a screen-printed design by Tjanpi artist and NPY Women's Council Chairperson Margaret Smith of Imanpa, Northern Territory. They are made with a durable cotton canvas and include binding at the zipper ends to make opening and closing the pouch smooth and sturdy. This product was designed and produced in collaboration with Contain Design Studio.

Product Details:
Size: 170mm (W) x 140mm (H) 
Fabric: Cotton Canvas 12oz
Zipper: 5 gauge - YKK nylon coil zipper

More on artist Margaret Smith:
Margaret Smith is an artist belonging to the Yankunytjatjara language and cultural group from the remote community of Imanpa, Northern Territory.

Margaret has been weaving since 2014 and quickly refined her artistic skills to create high-calibre baskets and sculptures. Margaret has developed a very unique and quirky style and often experiments with different animal sculptures such as cats and horses. She has taken part in many exhibitions, some of which include Fragrant Lands: Australian and Chinese Indigenous Art at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in Shanghai, 2014, Animal Instinct at Metropolis Gallery, Geelong, Victoria 2016, Tales from the Desert at Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery in Port Hedland, Western Australia, 2016 and Vincent Lingiari Art Award at the Tangentyere Gallery in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 2019.

Alongside being an accomplished artist, Margaret has played a crucial role in NPY Women’s Council as a board member and advocate for many years. She is currently the NPY Women's Council Chairperson. Margaret studied interpreting in Alice Springs and became one of the very first Anangu accredited interpreters. Margaret is a highly regarded spokesperson for the NPY region, as well as a former Liaison Officer of Imanpa Arts and Crafts. She has been a member of a number of boards and committees including the Board of Management of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Cross-border Reference Group on Volatile Substance Misuse.

Kurrkurrka Silk Scarf

MINA MINA DREAMING 

This Jukurrpa / Dreaming comes from Mina Mina, a very important women s Dreaming site far to the west of Yuendumu near Lake Mackay and the WA border. The kirda / owners of this Dreaming are Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men; the area is sacred to Napangardi and Napanangka women. There are a number of mulju / water soakages and a maluri / clay pan at Mina Mina. In the Dreamtime, ancestral women danced at Mina Mina and karlangu / digging sticks rose up out of the ground. The women collected the digging sticks and then travelled on to the east, dancing, digging for bush tucker, collecting ngalyipi / snake vine [Tinospora smilacina], and creating many places as they went. Ngalyipi is a rope-like creeper that grows up the trunks and limbs of trees, including kurrkara / desert oak [Allocasuarina decaisneana. It is used as a ceremonial wrap and as a strap to carry parraja / coolamons and ngami / water carriers. Ngalyipi is also used to tie around the forehead to cure headaches, and to bind cuts. The women stopped at Karntakurlangu, Janyinki, Parapurnta, Kimayi, and Munyuparntiparnti, sites spanning from the west to the east of Yuendumu. When they stopped, the women dug for bush foods like jintiparnta / desert truffle [Elderia arenivaga]. The Dreaming track eventually took them far beyond Warlpiri country. The track passed through Coniston in Anmatyerre country to the east, and then went on to Alcoota and Aileron far to the northeast of Yuendumu and eventually on into Queensland. In Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa and other elements. In many paintings of this Jukurrpa, sinuous lines are used to represent the ngalyipi / snake vine. Concentric circles are often used to represent the jintiparnt /desert truffles that the women have collected, while straight lines can be used to depict the karlangu / digging sticks.

This Dreaming belongs to Napaljarri / Japaljarri and Nungarrayi / Jungarrayi subsections and people from Mt Theo of the Japanangka / Napanangka, Japangardi /Napangardi subsections. It comes from Yarripurlangu, south-west of Yuendumu and tells the story of a group of Karnta (Warlpiri women) who were sitting down in a circle. A man from Mt Theo, of the Japangardi skin group named Wamaru came up to them. He wanted to take Yurlkurinyi, a girl of the wrong skin, a Nungarrayi. They made love. Then the earth turned to Ngunjungunju (yellow and white ochre) and the man turned himself and all the women into wardapi / goannas. The ochre is still found on top of the hill and is used today for love magic and for ceremonial decoration. In paintings of this Jukurrpa, the group of women is often represented by concentric circles and U shapes typically represent women. Concentric circles can also illustrate wardapi / holes and the droppings they leave while wardapi tracks are usually represented by W shapes.

VAUGHN SPRINGS DREAMING 

Pikikyi is a large and important waterhole and natural spring near Mount Doreen station. This dreaming belongs to the men and women of Japanangka/ Napanangka and Japangardi/Napangardi skin groups. It tells of the home of 2 rainbow serpents, ancestral heroes, who lived together as husband and wife. The woman was of the Napanangka skin group, the man was a Japangardi. It was a taboo relationship, contrary to Warlpiri religion law. Women of those subsections sat by the 2 serpents, picking lice of them. For this service, they were allowed to take water from the springs at Pikikyi, because the serpents were the "kirda" (ceremonial owners) for that country. The spirits of the rainbow serpents are still at Pikikyi today.

VAUGHN SPRINGS DREAMING 

Pikikyi is a large and important waterhole and natural spring near Mount Doreen station. This dreaming belongs to the men and women of Japanangka/ Napanangka and Japangardi/Napangardi skin groups. It tells of the home of 2 rainbow serpents, ancestral heroes, who lived together as husband and wife. The woman was of the Napanangka skin group, the man was a Japangardi. It was a taboo relationship, contrary to Warlpiri religion law. Women of those subsections sat by the 2 serpents, picking lice of them. For this service, they were allowed to take water from the springs at Pikikyi, because the serpents were the "kirda" (ceremonial owners) for that country. The spirits of the rainbow serpents are still at Pikikyi today.