
Caroline Numina Panaka, 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 contemporary aboriginal art.
Along with her siblings, Caroline attended primary school at Stirling Station, a cattle station on the outskirts of Tenant 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, taught to paint by their elder painter grandmothers, mother-aunties and cousin-sisters, all connected across the central desert region. This artistic dynasty includes the renowned artists Emily Kame Kmgwarreye, Margaret Scobie and Gloria Petyarre.
Subjects of importance in the painted theme-series are a variety of bush tucker such as wild berries, plum, onion, yam, seeds etc. and many animals either depicted as a 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 show responsibility and the care of holding such stories to keep the stories and traditional practices alive. The knowledge must be told repeatedly and handed on.
Caroline paints the stories of her heritage – bush tucker, bush medicine dreaming, mountain devil lizard dreaming, honey art, emu and kangaroo dreaming, all painted in exquisite detail and striking colours.