Caroline Numina
Caroline Numina is one of the elder sisters among six prominent desert artists: Jacinta, Lanita, Louise, Selina, and Sharon. She has two brothers; her father is deceased, and her mother continues to engage in painting occasionally. Subsequently, she pursued her studies at Yirarra College in Alice Springs. Like her sisters and mother, she is part of a longstanding lineage of desert painters specialising in contemporary Aboriginal art, specifically the dot- dot central desert movement.
After completing her secondary education, Caroline Numina returned to Stirling Station, located near Ti Tree, where she met her husband. She commenced her painting career in the early 1980s. As with her sisters, she received instruction from her esteemed artist aunts, Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre, who are well-respected figures in the Alice Springs art community. Caroline and her family reside in Darwin and frequently travel home to visit her mother, Barbara Price Mtjimbana, as well as her partner's ancestral lands.
Numerous women from the Petyarre, Mambitji, and Numina families uphold significant themes, including Bush Medicine Leaves, Bush Tucker, Seeded, Soakage, Women's Ceremony, and Thorny Devil Dreaming. By reinforcing these Dreamings through their artworks, they demonstrate reverence for their Country and their ancestors. Such knowledge must be retold and transmitted to subsequent generations. In this regard, Caroline has imparted her painting skills to her daughter and shared her understanding of the Thorny Devil Dreaming to honour her heritage.
The Numina Sisters have all been instructed in painting by their artist grandmothers, mother-aunts, and cousin- sisters, who share connections throughout the Central Desert region. The Country of their mothers and grandmothers is situated in the bush and remote Stirling Station. Caroline's daughter, Jacinta Turner, is rapidly emerging as a celebrated young artist, following in the footsteps of her mother and aunts. She vividly portrays the narratives of her heritage, which include bush tucker and bush medicine dreaming, mountain devil lizard dreaming, honey ant, emu, and kangaroo dreaming, all depicted in exquisite detail and striking colours.
The Story Behind the Bush Leaves Paintings
The leaves of the medicine bush illustrated herein are indigenous to the Kurrajong tree, which comprises approximately 30 varieties that have existed for over 50 million years. These trees range from small shrubs to substantial trees, reaching heights of approximately 30 meters. The trunks of the larger specimens serve as reservoirs for water, while the leaves possess medicinal properties.
In the remote region of Utopia, situated to the west of Alice Springs, where Caroline’s people originate, the women gather the bush leaves, boil them, and subsequently mash them with animal fats, such as kangaroo, emu, or goanna, to create a medicinal poultice or paste that can remain effective for several months. This paste is employed for the treatment of various ailments, including bites, wounds, skin infections, rashes, and skin cancer. The bush leaves are also boiled in hot water to produce an infusion or healing tea. Additionally, other preparations have been utilised as insect repellents or were introduced into the water to incapacitate fish.
The desirability of the artworks
Admirers of the medicine bush leaf paintings frequently note their captivating allure. Observers are entranced by the illusion of movement that these artworks create, as though the leaves depicted on the canvas are swaying in the breeze. Numerous purchasers and collectors of medicine bush leaf artworks across Australia, America, and Europe are medical professionals who acquire these pieces to display in their consulting rooms, thereby showcasing Aboriginal artwork with medical significance.
