Lizard Dreaming, 2000 by Judy Watson Napangardi 90x61cm
Judy grew up in the Western Desert as a young girl, living a traditional lifestyle before government policies of assimilation forced many families to move eastward away from their homelands. Her family spent time at Mount Doreen before eventually settling at Yuendumu, where many Warlpiri and Pintupi families were relocated during the mid-twentieth century.
After the death of Judy’s father, his brother Paddy Japanangka Lewis took responsibility for her care along with her elder sister Maggie, raising them as his own daughters in accordance with customary kinship law. He often said that his feelings toward her were no different from those he held for his other children — Dorothy Napangardi, Betsy Lewis and Margaret Lewis — reflecting the strength of family ties and the cultural obligation to care for all children within the extended family.