Maggie Williams Napaltjarri

Mggie was born Circa 1950, she is a Warlpiri speaker and lives at Willowra Community in the
Northern Territory.

When questioned about the context of her paintings, Maggie seems reluctant to give too much
away, which is not uncommon for many of the artists we represent. Quite often the information
or story contained within a painting is for sharing with initiates only. In traditional aboriginal
culture, each person passes through a series of initiations in their lifetime, with each stage
meaning greater access to knowledge of dreaming stories and ceremonies. Hence, even an
uninitiated aboriginal person will not be told ‘the full story’. What we do know about Maggie’s
work is that the consistent theme is ‘Meeting Place’ and presents an aerial depiction of waking
paths or ‘tracking lines’ through the country around Willowra.

One can assume that these paths are not necessarily physical in nature but denote a
dreaming song or ‘story’ that runs through the land and acts as a boundary and or walking
route that is recognised as a significant part of the landscape from which indigenous people
have subsisted for countless years. Where these lines intersect is called ‘Meeting Place’ in
English and may represent a special place or a sacred site.