Engawala Women's Ceremony

Waltja travelled to Engawala and Mount Liebig in support of the Kapaliku Ngurra Yirrintinguru project. The aim of the project is to support the transfer of Arrernte and Pintubi-Luritja culture and language and engage younger women in the transmission of traditional cultural practices.

The project is funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts (Indigenous Languages and Arts Program). Mount Liebig had chosen to work on a large canvas for painting but later decided they wanted to do the dancing and singing instead.

They also wanted to visit the traditional sites of senior women and record the songs. Most songs circled around the “Willy Wagtail dreaming” – the mountain range in the background of the camp and sites around it.

Engawala senior women chose traditional dance and song to teach younger women during a camp. They collected and carved sticks for the dances, red and white ochre for painting the sticks and at night the women danced.

A lot of community members walked down to the creek to be part of it, talk about it and learn. It has been an amazing camp out with the women dancing and singing until late at night. Women from Engawala and Mount Liebig were very happy and proud about sharing their culture, song and dances during those camps.

This video is about the Engawala Women's Ceremony.