Eliza Nampijimpa Haywood

Eliza was born and raised at Neutral Junction. Her family moved to Ali Curung when Eliza was five years old. She went to school at Ali Curung and started painting when CDEP (Community Development Employment Program) first started. She worked as a supervisor at the Women’s Centre and started painting there in 2000.Eliza Nampinjinba/Nakamarra Haywood I came when I was 4 years old to Ali Curung. I was born at Neutral Station. My parents were working at the station when I was born. My father was a stockman. My mother looked after the kids. I grew up in Ali Curung when it was a mission settlement called Warrabri. My mother was from Warrakulangu, Barrow Creek way. My father was from Jarraminer, west of Warrego Mine and Tennant Creek. I have one younger brother and 4 sisters. One of my sisters has a different mother. I am Kaytetye woman. At Ali Curung, we use to live in the jilimi. A small tin shed for Kaytetye woman and children. I went to school at Ali Curung and we use to eat our meals in the big tin shed. When I finished school, I worked at shop first. I worked as a Health Worker for 9 years at Ali Curung Clinic. I did training with other Health Workers at Batchelor College. After, the clinic I started to work at the Women’s Centre. That was in the early 90s and that’s when I started painting. I was looking at the old people, learning from them and then, I started painting. I moved to Epenarra for a while with my family. I am back at Ali Curung now, because the art centre is going strong at Ali Curung. There is an Art Centre at Epenarra but it is closed. I am not married and I don’t have any children. This is the first art competition that I have entered. I was born in 1954 and I am now 54 years old. My dreaming is Ngapa (water) and Warrakulangu (fire) dreaming. I got the water dreaming from my father. My mother’s dreaming is Warrakulangu dreaming. The dreaming relates to the land where my mother and father were from. Painting story I am painting my mother’s dreaming (yaulu) story. It’s of her country, Warrakulangu, the fire dreaming story. The painting has the fire dreaming and the body paint that relates to this dreaming. There is a song and a dance for this dreaming. The body painting is body paint for a woman’s dance. My mother and my other mother, Mona Haywood, they told me the story when I was young. I use to dance this dreaming when I was young. The story is about how the fire started, how the bush fire started in a place called Warrakulangu. The Warrakulangu comes from Kaytetye land, but there are other sites in Warlpiri country. The bush fire spread across the country, you can see in the painting the tongues of the fire flickering and the flames spreading through the grass. The body painting also tells my mother’s dreaming (yaulu). The design is painted across the chest and the arms and breasts. The red (ochre) represents the fire. The black represents the burnt country, the bushes, trees and grass. The white represents the ash. The bush fire burns at a certain time of year. They use to make the fire with their hands and sticks.