The Anmatyerr, also spelt Anmatyerre, Anmatjera, Anmatjirra, Amatjere and other variations) are an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Is ...

people of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, who speak one of the

Upper Arrernte language Arrernte or Aranda (; ) or sometimes referred to as Upper Arrernte (Upper Aranda), is a dialect cluster in the Arandic language group spoken in parts of the Northern Territory, Australia, by the Arrernte people. Other spelling variations are ...

Language

Anmatyerr is divided into Eastern and Western dialects, both dialects of Upper Arrernte.

Country

In 1974 the traditional lands of the Anmatyerr people in N.B. Tindale's ''Aboriginal Tribes of Australia'' were described as covering an area of . He specifies its central features as encompassing the Forster Range, Mount Leichhardt (''Arnka''),Mount Leichhardt
/ref> Coniston, Stuart Bluff Range to the east of West Bluff; the Hann and Reynolds Ranges (''Arwerlt Atwaty''); the Burt Plain north of Rembrandt Rocks and Connor Well. Their eastern frontier went as far as Woodgreen. To the northeast, their borders lay around central Mount Stuart (''Amakweng'') and Harper Springs.

Communities

Anmatyerr communities located within the region include ''Nturiya'' (Old Ti Tree Station), Ti-Tree ''Pmara Jutunta'' (6 Mile), Willowra,

Laramba Laramba is a small town in the Northern Territory of Australia, around west of Alice Springs (2.5 hours by road). Access to the community is via the Napperby Station road. In the 2016 Australian census, Laramba's population numbered 239. It ...

(

Napperby Station Napperby Station, also known as Napperby, is a pastoral lease used as a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. History The station was established on Anmatyerre tribal land. The Chisholm family have owned Napperby Station "on ...

) and Alyuen. What is today known as the Anmatyerre region has significant overlap with Warlpiri, Arrernte and Alyawarr language communities. Many people come from two or three different language groups. The

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...

community, northeast of

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, and set up in 1927, is partly on Alyawarre land, partly on land of the Anmatyerre. As a specialist in Arandic culture and language T. G. H Strehlow also worked with Anmatyerr people throughout his career, recording much of their ceremonial traditions.

Alternative names

* ''Anmatjara'' * ''Imatjera'' * ''Janmadjara/Janmadjari'' ( Warlpiri exonym) * ''Janmatjiri.'' ( Pintupi exonym) * ''Nmatjera'' * ''Unmatjera'' (mainly an Aranda

exonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

) * ''Urmitchee'' * ''Yanmedjara, Yanmadjari.''

Notable people

* Gwoya Jungarai, aka "One Pound Jimmy", was the first named Aboriginal person to appear on an Australian postage stamp, in 1950. *

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri AO (1932 – 21 June 2002) was an Australian painter, considered to be one of the most collected and renowned Australian Aboriginal artists. His paintings are held in galleries and collections in Australia and ...

and Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, stepsons of Gwoya Jungarai, were Anmatyerr artists credited as leaders of the Contemporary Indigenous Australian art movement. *

Emily Kngwarreye Emily Kame Kngwarreye (or Emily Kam Ngwarray) (1910 – 3 September 1996) was an Aboriginal Australian artist from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. She is one of the most prominent and successful artists in the history of Aust ...

was an Anmatyerr artist who lived at Utopia community. * Kathleen Petyarre, Gloria Petyarre, and Jeanna Petyarre and two other sisters, nieces of Emily Kngwarreye, are well-known

Alyawarre The Alyawarre, also spelt Alyawarr and also known as the Iliaura, are an Aboriginal Australian people, or language group, from the Northern Territory. The Alyawarre are made up of roughly 1,200 associated peoples and actively engage in local tra ...

/ Eastern Anmatyerre artists, also at Utopia. *

Minnie Pwerle Minnie Pwerle (also Minnie Purla or Minnie Motorcar Apwerl; born between 1910 and 1922 – 18 March 2006) was an Australian Aboriginal artist. She came from Utopia, Northern Territory (''Unupurna'' in local language), a cattle station in the ...

was an Alyawarre / Anmatyerre artist.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Northern Territory Govt

Anmatjerre Community Government Council
{{Authority control Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory