Peggy Rockman Napaljarri facts for kids

Peggy Rockman Napaljarri (also known as Peggy Yalurrngali Rockman Napaljarri) was born around 1940. She is an Indigenous Australian artist who speaks the Warlpiri language. She comes from the Western Desert region of Australia.

Peggy was born on what is now called Tanami Downs in the Northern Territory. She learned English as a child while working with a white mining family. Later, the government moved Peggy Rockman and her family to Lajamanu. This is a new community west of Tennant Creek. Peggy Rockman is one of the traditional owners of Tanami Downs.

She started painting in 1986 after taking an adult education course. Peggy Rockman paints special 'dreamings' or stories. These include Ngatijirri (budgerigar), Warna (snake), Laju, and Ngarlu. Her artwork is displayed in important places like the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She also helped write Yimikirli: Warlpiri Dreamings and Histories. This book shares Warlpiri stories in both Warlpiri and English.

About Peggy Rockman Napaljarri

Her Early Life and Name

Peggy Rockman was born around 1940. The exact year is not known because Indigenous Australians often mark time differently. They might remember dates by comparing them to other big events. Some records just say "Lima" as her birthplace. More details suggest she was born at Mungkururrpa, on Tanami Downs. This place used to be called Mongrel Downs.

Her birth name was Yalurrngali. The name Peggy Rockman was given to her later by white government officials. 'Napaljarri' is a 'skin name' in the Warlpiri language. It is one of sixteen special names used by Indigenous people in central Australia. These names help show family connections and who people can marry. They are not like surnames that Europeans use. So, 'Peggy Rockman' is her personal name.

Family and Moving to Lajamanu

Peggy Rockman had three older sisters. All of them married Jampu Jakamarra, and Peggy later married him too. When she was about six to eight years old, her family lived near a white couple. This couple was mining gold in the Tanami Desert. Peggy worked caring for their children. This is how she became very good at speaking English.

After the mine closed, Peggy Rockman's family went back to moving around the region. Then, they settled for a while at a cattle station called Gordon Downs. Around 1952, the government's Native Affairs Branch moved her family. They were taken to a new settlement called Lajamanu. This community is in the central desert, west of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory. In Lajamanu, Peggy Rockman had to work full-time in the kitchens. She was paid with meals and sometimes with food supplies. She had three children with Jampu Jakamarra at the settlement.

Peggy Rockman was one of six children of Milkila Jungarayi. Her sisters, Biddy Rockman Napaljarri and Mona Rockman Napaljarri, are also artists. Peggy Rockman is recognized as one of the traditional owners of Tanami Downs. This is under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976. In the past, she lived in the Lajamanu area. By 2010, she had moved to Katherine, Northern Territory.

Her Art Journey

How Western Desert Art Began

Modern Indigenous art from the Western Desert started in 1971. Indigenous men at Papunya began painting with help from a teacher named Geoffrey Bardon. They used acrylic paints to create designs. These designs often looked like body paintings and ground sculptures. This new art style quickly spread across Indigenous communities in central Australia. A government art program started in 1983, which helped it grow even more. By the 1980s and 1990s, this artwork was shown all over the world.

At first, only men were painting. There was some resistance from men in central Australia to women painting. However, many women wanted to join in. In the 1990s, many Indigenous women started creating paintings. In communities like Kintore, Yuendumu, Balgo, and on the outstations, people began making art specifically to show and sell.

Peggy's Painting Career

Peggy Rockman was one of many artists who learned to paint in 1986. She took a course in Lajamanu run by an adult education officer, John Quinn. This course was part of the local Technical and Further Education unit. At first, only men attended the course. But eventually, over a hundred community members joined. Other artists who started painting through this course include Mona Rockman Napaljarri and Louisa Napaljarri.

Western Desert artists like Peggy Rockman often paint specific 'dreamings'. These are stories or designs that they have a special connection to. For Peggy, her dreamings include Ngatijirri (budgerigar), Warna (snake), Laju, and Ngarlu.

Peggy Rockman also worked with a linguist named Lee Cataldi. They wrote Yimikirli: Warlpiri Dreamings and Histories. This book was supported by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. It was published in 1994. The book is 200 pages long and contains Warlpiri stories. These stories were collected in Warlpiri and then translated into English. Peggy Rockman was a source for these stories and helped edit the book.

Peggy Rockman is also a senior dancer among her people. In 1993, she helped choose the location for a big ceremony. She also took part in this ceremony for an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary called Milli Milli. The ceremony was called Wati Kutjarra (Two men) Dreaming. She performed with other artists, including Susie Bootja Bootja Napaltjarri.

Where to See Her Art

Peggy Rockman's paintings have been shown in both public and private art galleries. These include the Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment and the National Gallery of Victoria's "Paint Up Big" exhibition. Commercial galleries like William Mora Galleries in Melbourne have also shown her work. One of her paintings, Mukaki – bush plum, was part of the 2007 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Her paintings are kept in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Collections

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• National Gallery of Victoria