Caroline Numina Pananka

Caroline Numina Pananka, a Kaytetye Aboriginal artist from the Utopia region, Central Australia,  is one of six highly-talented and well-known desert artists known in the Aboriginal art world as the Numina Sisters.  Known for their bright and innovative works they are rapidly emerging as the next artistic dynasty in the contemporary aboriginal art world.

Along with her siblings, Caroline attended primary school at Stirling Station, a cattle station on the outskirts of Tennant Creek and from there went to high school at Kormilda College in Darwin. Having worked as a community officer in Ti Tree, Caroline is now based in Darwin travelling back to her homelands regularly.

Like her sisters and mother Caroline comes from a long line of desert painters of the contemporary Aboriginal art and dot-dot central desert movement, Like her sisters and mother, Caroline comes from a long line of desert painters of the contemporary Aboriginal art and dot-dot central desert movement, taught to paint by their earlier elder painter grandmothers, mother-aunties and cousin-sisters, all connected across the Central Desert region. This artistic dynasty of artists includes the renowned artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Margaret Scobie and Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre.

Subjects of importance in the theme-series painted are various bush tucker such as wild berries, plums, onion, yam, seeds etc and many animals can be depicted as food source or as totems such as Thorny Devil Lizard and Dingo Tracks. Women’s Ceremony, Awelye Body Art Ceremony are mostly painted by senior ladies but younger women need to know it from a young age.  Some themes such as Bush Tucker can be open and universal whilst others can be secret and/or significant in cultural ceremonies.

Knowing, carrying and reinforcing these stories gives respect for Country and ancestors and shows responsibility and the care of holding such stories to keep the stories and traditional practices alive.  The knowledge must be retold repeatedly and handed on.

Caroline paints the stories of her heritage - bush tucker, bush medicine dreaming, mountain devil lizard dreaming, honey ant, emu and kangaroo dreaming, all painted in exquisite details and striking colours.

When painting Bush Medicine Leaves, she uses bright colours to depict the different combinations of leaves used.  During the life of the native Kurrajong tree the leaves change colour and as they do so they exhibit different medicinal properties.  The leaves are boiled and mashed with animal fats (emu or kangaroo) making a medicinal poultice or paste which is then applied to the skin to heal a multitude of afflictions such as bites, wounds, skin infections, rashes, skin cancer and the like.  The leaves are also steeped in hot water to make an infusion, or healing tea.

Women’s Ceremony, Awelye, Body Art, Womens' Business show respect for country.   Both ancestors and responsibility for well-being of the community are recalled in gere, where the women paint their ceremony stories on their bodies using ochre, ash and charcoal.  Although recognised for her bright colours, Caroline uses traditional colours in her body painting series. Snake, Goanna Dreaming, Thorny Devil, a small spiny desert lizard whose colour changes according to the prevailing temperatures is painted in a variety of tones and colours.

Now based in Darwin along with her sisters, Caroline travels back to her homelands regularly.  Her works have been exhibited extensively and are held by institutions, galleries and in private collections both nationally and internationally.