Debra Nangala McDonald

Debra Nangala McDonald

DOB: 10 October 1963
Born: Papunya, NT
LANGUAGE GROUP: Pintupi
COMMUNITY: Papunya, NT

Debra McDonald Nangala, was born at Papunya Camp. She is the granddaughter of the late Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi (c.1920-1987), who was a Pintupi man from Lake MacDonald in the Gibson Desert, Central Australia.

In 1948 he moved to Haasts Bluff and Papunya, and both Debra and Shorty's stories refer to his country of Lake MacDonald.

Debra was married to the nephew of Turkey Tolson and son of the great female artist Mitjili.

Her paintings have been documented in Geoffrey & James Bardon's book "Papunya- A Place Made After the Story. The Beginning of the Western Desert Painting Movement".