This 'ngalyipi Jukurrpa' (snakevine (Tinospora smilacina dreaming) comes from the Mina Mina. Mina Mina is an extremely important ceremonial site for Napangardi and Napananoka women that is located approximately 600kms west of Yuendumu, just east of Lake Mackay and the WA border. The area has a 'marluri' (salt lake or claypan) that is usually dry, without water. There are also a number of 'muliu' (soakages), sandhills, and a large stand of 'kurrkara' (desert oaks). The Mina Mina Jukurrpa is an important source of Warpiri ritual knowledge and social organization, particularly relating to the different roles performed by men and women.
The 'kinda' (owners) of this Jukurrpa are Napangardi/Napanangka women and Japangardi/Japanangkamen. There are a number of different Jukurrpa associated with Mina Mina; artists usually choose to depict one particular Jukurrpa in their paintings. In addition to 'ngalyipi' (snakevine), these can include 'karnta' (women), 'karlangu' (digging sticks), 'majardi' (hairstring skirts/tassels), 'kurrkara' (desert oak [Allocasuarina decaisneana]), and 'jintiparnta' (desert truffle [Elderia arebuvaga}).
The Mina Mina Jukurrpa tells the story of a group of ancestral 'karat' (Women) who travled from west to east. In the Dreamtime, these ancestral women danced a tMinaMina and 'karlangu' ( digging sticks ) rose up from the ground. They collected these digging sticks and started travelling to the east. They carried their digging sticks over their shoulders and they were adorned with 'majardi (hairstring belts), white feathers, and necklaces made from 'vinirnti' (bean tree [Erythrina vespertilio]) seeds. They continuously anointed themselves with 'minyira' (shiny fat) to increase their ritual powers as they went along. As the women travelled, they were followed by a 'vinkarda kurdaku' (spotted nightjar [Eurostopodus argus]) from the Jakamarra subsection. The bird would call out and then hide in the bushes behind them as they travelled