#arrernte

The Anthropological Masterlist is HERE.

The Aboriginal Australian people are the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. 

ADNYAMANTHA ─ “The Adnyamathanha people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the northern Flinders Ranges.” ─ Plants in Adnyamantha Culture

ARRERNTE ─ “The Arrernte, or Aranda, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the Arrernte land in central Australia.” ─ Arrernte Information ─ Arrernte Language

BUNDJALUNG ─ “The Bundjalung, or Bunjalung, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the northern coast of New South Wales.” ─ Bundjalung Migration

KAMILAROI ─ “The Kamilaroi, or Gamilaraay, are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to New South Wales and Queensland.” ─ Kamilaroi Culture ─ Kamilaroi Language & Traditions ─ Kamilaroi Astrology

NGARRINDJERI ─ “The Ngarrindjeri people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the lower Murray River in southern Australia.” ─ Ngarrindjeri Information ─ Ngarrindjeri Culture

NOONGAR ─ “The Noongar, or Nyunga, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to southwest Western Australia.” ─ Noongar Culture ─ Noongar Language ─ Western Australian Language

TIWI ─ “The Tiwi, or Tunuvivi, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the Bathurst and Melville islands.” ─ Tiwi Information ─ Tiwi Language ─ Tiwi Music

Despite there being hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages, the phonetics of them all follow a very similar logical consistency.

Retracing our steps 60 odd Km back along the Stuart Hwy we turned east to visit Rainbow Valley. The colours are stunning and there’s some interesting geological and Aboriginal aspects to this somewhat hidden gem.

The James Range which is where we were, was one of the last areas in the region where aboriginal people could freely hunt and collect resources. Known as Wurre to the southern Arrernte people, this was a Bushtucker Dreaming site and remains an important ceremony place; charcoal, grindstones and rock art dating back thousands of years indicate that people met and camped here.

The glorious, eroded, brilliantly-coloured sandstone cliffs are just stunning perched as they are on the edge of ancient clay pans. The burnt red colours at the top seem to bleed into oranges, yellows and white.

The outer burnt red colours seem to bleed into oranges, yellows and white. The colours we now see formed 10s of millions of years ago when Central Australia had a warm wet climate. Over time leaching and evaporation led to the colour bands topped with a tough iron-containing rock cap which protected the softer white rock underneath from erosion. But this hill has been slowly collapsing.

The area remains a sacred place for the southern Arrernte people and they work hard to protect it and that has allowed us to enjoy it in all its splendour. Thank you, it is so worthwhile.

‘Mushroom rock’ has been shaped by wind and water over millennia to create a honeycomb appearance. Grass-lined mud nests of the Fairy Martins cling to the underside where it is protected. Small bats also live in protected hollows and fly out at night.

When it comes to learning about his people's culture and history, Dujuan Hoosan is a star pupil.

A bright and confident 12-year-old boy of Arrernte and Garrwa descent, Dujuan is a skilled hunter, fluent in three languages and considered a healer by his people — a gift he inherited from his grandfather.

But in Australia's education system, he's been a struggling student who skips class, gets into trouble and fails his exams.