Ngapa Jukurrpa by Sabrina Robertson 41x41CM 9335SR

The star-like central motif in this captivating painting by Sabrina Nangala Robertson represents Mikanji, a sacred site associated with the life-giving presence of water. This ancestral story, known as Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming), is deeply connected to the vital water sources that sustain desert life.

Mikanji is typically a dry creek bed, but during heavy rains, it transforms into a powerful watercourse, linking with other creeks from Puyurru to Pirlinyanu, and filling ancient rocky outcrops with precious water. These places become active repositories of life—sustaining plants, animals, and people in the harsh desert environment.

Traditional knowledge of where to find water, how to protect it, and how to honour its spirit is passed down through generations in the form of sacred song cycles. This Jukurrpa is the responsibility of men from the Jangala and Jampijinpa skin groups, and women from the Nangala and Nampijinpa groups—custodians of both land and law, ceremony and story.

Sabrina Nangala Robertson, daughter of the renowned artist Dorothy Napangardi and sister to Julie Nangala Robertson, continues a strong lineage of cultural expression through painting. Until recently, her surname was spelt Robinson .