Narpula Napurrula Scobie (also known as Nabula Scobie) was born 1950, near Haasts Bluff and grew up in Papunya. She grew up in the Pintupi coutry living a traditional life with her family, hunting and living off the land as the Aboriginal people did for thousands of years before her. In 1959 a settlement was established by the federal government to facilitate the assimilation of the Aboriginal Desert people. This settlement is near the Mac Donnell Ranges, approximately 240km North West of Alice Springs beside two small hills, one of the hills is a sacred ceremonial site and is known as Papunya Tula, an important Honey Ant Dreaming site shared by all Aboriginal groups from the central Desert. Warlpiri, Pintupi, Luritja Arrente and Anmatyerre Desert people were trucked in to the settlement during the 1960’s.
Some Aboriginal families came willingly by promise of free food and white mans goods, other were brought in unwiling and forcefully rounded up and torn from their homelands by government patrols. Narpula’s were forcefully transported there together with 400 other Aboriginies as part of the official assimilation policy. Narpula Napurrula Scobie stayed there until the beginning of the 80’s. Both her older brother Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula her husband Johny Scobie Tjapanangka are artisits. She assisted her husband for many years in painting the background details to his paintings, but first began working independently in the 80’s. In those early years she was the only female artist working in the Pintupi area. She is also the step sister to Mitjili Napurrula.
