Pirlinyanu Site- Water Dreaming 2011 by Julie Nangala Robertson, 152x152cm 14012JR
Pirlinyanu is a significant site where the Ngapa Tjukurrpa (Water Dreaming) runs through Warlpiri country in the Tanami Desert. This revered rocky outcrop, in an otherwise featureless landscape, stretches towards and beyond the Western Australian border from the Northern Territory. Deep waterholes within the rocky outcrop catch rainfall, providing life-giving water essential for survival in the desert.
Deep waterholes are tucked away in the rocky outcrop which catch rainfall and provide the life giving force of water. Song cycles are song and danced at ceremonies celebrating all parts of the Dreaming which encompasses the past, present and future. The skin name Nangala is one of the traditional owners of this Dreaming. It is one of the eight names that link the complex subsection groups.
Julie Nangala Robertson was awarded the 2023 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award in Best Painting Category.
The eldest of the five daughters of Dorothy Napangardi Robinson, Julie has recently changed the spelling of her surname to Robertson, feeling that her father, Windy, had misspelt it as Julie's other relatives in Yuendumu are all Robertson. Windy had two wives, Rene Robinson and Dorothy Robinson.