Lorna Fencer Napurrula Biography
Lorna Fencer Napurrula was born in c.1924 at Yartuluyarturlu, in the Tanami Desert. Like many Aboriginal people born in that era, most were given a formal birthday of the 1st of January. She was a Walpiri and Ngaliya speaker who lived a traditional lifestyle in the bush. In 1949, like many Warlpiri people, she and her family were removed from their traditional lands, and relocated to the goverment settlement of Lajamanu, at Hookers Creek. Although removed from her traditional homelands, Lorna maintained her cultural connection and was able to strengthen her cultural identity through ceremonial activities and later through her art. She was also a prominent elder and teacher within her community, and an influential figure for the Aboriginal Art Movement. She first started painting on canvas in 1986, depicting Dreaming Stories through her art. Lorna was a pioneer in the Womens' Art Movement for the way she approached the canvas, away from the traditional iconography so often seen up until then. She first started painting on canvas in 1986, depicting Dreaming Stories through her art. Lorna Fencer Napurrula passed away in December 2006.
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