Cirrus@Austlit

'Topsy was born at Wave Hill Station (Jinparrak) in 1934. As a young woman, she worked in the stockman’s quarters serving food and washing up. On the weekends her and her family used to gather traditional foods and hunt. They also held wajarra (corroborree) and jarrarta (women’s ceremony).

'She met her husband, Victor Vincent, at the station. In 1966, Victor’s father, Vincent Lingiari initiated a workers’ strike to protest against the poor conditions of their employment and ultimately recover control of their traditional lands. The Gurindji campaign went on for nine years and resulted in the first successful land claim by an Aboriginal group, which in turn generated further energy for the broader land rights movement.

'During this period, Topsy and her husband worked at Kalkarindji which was a welfare settlement. Here she cooked for the school children. Later they moved to the new Wave Hill Station (Jamanku) where she continued working as a cook and her husband worked as a stockman. Today Topsy lives at Kalkaringi with her daughters.

'As well as painting, Topsy makes a number of traditional artefacts including kawarla (coolamons) and kurturu (nullanullas).Topsy’s Dreaming designs include Lamawurt (witchetty grub), Tirnung (bloodwood sap). Lamawurt is her father’s Dreaming.' (Source : http://karungkarniart.theblinkserver.com/?page_id=456 )