Watiya Tjuta (Mulga Trees) | SP-2699

Born: 1963

Birthplace: Papunya, NT

Language: Pintupi

Community: Papunya, Northern Territory


Debra McDonald Nangala was born at Papunya Camp and is the granddaughter of the late Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi (c.1920–1987), a Pintupi man from Lake MacDonald in the Gibson Desert, Central Australia. In 1948, Shorty relocated to Haasts Bluff and later to Papunya, and both Debra and Shorty's narratives reference his ancestral country of Lake MacDonald. Debra married the nephew of Turkey Tolson and son of renowned artist Mitjili Napurrula, with whom she maintained a close relationship, frequently painting together.

Her artwork has been documented in Geoffrey and James Bardon's publication "Papunya - A Place Made After the Story. The Beginning of the Western Desert Painting Movement. Shorty Lungkata, a respected clan leader and significant figure in Papunya’s art scene during the 1970s and 1980s, narrated stories tied to the ancestral sites near Lake MacDonald. Through marriage, Debra is connected to Mitjili Napurrula and continues to build upon the visual motifs and narratives closely associated with her, particularly the depiction of Watiya Tjuta (Mulga trees), traditionally used for making spears.

Debra has worked closely with Top Didj Art Gallery for many years and will come and stay in Katherine at times to paint at the gallery.