Christine Yantumba was born in Pormpuraaw, an Aboriginal community in north-west Queensland on the Cape York Peninsula. Pormpuraaw has a typically tropical climate, with constant heat and annual monsoons. These conditions make the region isolated, particularly during floods that turn Pormpuraaw into an island for several months at a time. The remoteness of the major cities, the nearest being Cairns 600 km away, has enabled local traditions to be preserved. Although Christian missions began in the 1930s, the Aborigines continue to practise their ancestral religious ceremonies.

Christine Yantumba began working at the Pormpuraaw art centre as soon as it opened in 2005. She works in ghostnet sculpture, painting and printmaking.  Her work celebrates her culture, her community and her country.

Her totems are the emu, the black duck and the red-legged devil man.

Collections:
• Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Art & Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
• National Museum of Australia, Canberra ACT
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne VIC