Western Desert Verbal Arts Project Collection: Introduction - Elizebeth Marrkilyi Ellis

Added by Ngaanyatjarra Council (Aboriginal Corporation)

Description Western Desert Verbal Arts Project Collection

From 2012 - 2017 Ngaatjatjarra linguist Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis worked with Inge Kral and Jennifer Green to document the endangered verbal arts of the Australian Western Desert.

The Western Desert dialects spoken in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands Communities include Ngaanyatjarra, Ngaatjatjarra and Pitjantjatjara.

With women and girls we filmed the traditional practice of 'mirlpa', or sand storytelling, and with younger storytellers we recorded their adaptation of this drawing practice to iPads.

Made in 2012 with the support of
The Australian National University
The University of Melbourne
& Grants from:
ELDP (Endangered Languages Documentation Programme) Small Grant SG0187.
Australian Research Council – DE120100720
Australian Research Council – DP110102767