Christine Nakamarra Curtis was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs. She was born into a family of artists, which include Kelly Napanangka Michaels, her mother, Roy Jupurrurla Curtis, her father, and Alice Nampijinpa Henwood Michaels, her Aunty. She is the eldest of 7 sisters and spent most of her childhood at Nyirripi, a remote Aboriginal community located 150 km north-west of Yuendumu. Christine attended her local school. Shen then went on to Yirara College, an Aboriginal boarding college in Alice Springs, and continued her studies at Kormilda College, an Aboriginal boarding college in Darwin. After finishing schooling she returned to Nyirripi, where she worked in the store. 'I love the place. I grew up here learning from the old people.'
Christine began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation in 2007. Christine paints her grandparent's dreaming on her mother's side, Dreamings which relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. These stories have been passed down for millennia. 'I like the patterns and all those colours, and the stories. Watching family painting, they show you the dreaming.'
Christine uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture. Christine has two sons, Navarone and Mahela, who attend the local school in Nyirripi. When Christine is not painting she likes to take them hunting for bush tucker and goanna.
The country associated with this Jukurrpa is Mina Mina, a place far to the west of Yuendumu, which is significant to Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangka men. All of them are the custodians of the Jukurrpa that created the area. The Jukurrpa story tells of the journey of a group of women of all ages who travelled to the east gathering food, collecting ‘ngalyipi’ (snake vine) and performing ceremonies as they travelled. The women began their journey at Mina Mina where ‘karlangu’ (digging sticks) emerged from the ground. Taking these implements the women travelled east creating Janyinki and other sites. Their journey took them far to the east beyond the boundaries of Warlpiri country. The ‘ngalyipi’ vine grows up the trunks and limbs of the ‘kurrkara’ (desert oak) trees. ‘Ngalyipi’ is a sacred vine to Napangardi and Napanangka women that has many uses. It can be used as a ceremonial wrap, as a strap to carry ‘parrajas’ (wooden bowls) that are laden with bush tucker and as a tourniquet for headaches.
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 'jintiparnta' (desert truffles) that the women have collected, while straight lines can be used to depict the 'karlangu' (digging sticks).
