Amanda Turner
Amanda Turner is an Arrernte woman from the Mpweringke Anapipe region. Amanda is a locally recognised artist with strong skills in a variety of artforms, including digital media. She has worked in our Resource Development team at Ampe-kenhe Ahele Mparntwe (Children’s Ground- Central Australia)since the beginning and has played a pivotal role in the development of beautiful, innovative and visually engaging community language resources. Last year she became a member of the Arrernte music team and helped to develop, perform as well as teach songs to children.
About Children’s Ground
Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe (Children’s Ground) is a First Nations (FN) owned Organisation that works in Central Australia and the Top End. We commenced in Central Australia in 2016. In Central Australia, Children’s Ground is known as Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe and works across five different locations and family groups. The Children’s Ground Approach includes place-based delivery of integrated services in communities across five areas: intergenerational learning, family health, employment, culture/creative arts and community development and wellbeing.
For the past six years First Nations writers, artists and educators at Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe have been creating vibrant children’s books in local languages: Anwerne Ingkerrekele Mpwareke: By Us, For Us. “Anwerne pipe intelheme ayeye anwernekenhe akerte, angkentye anwerne kenhe rlterrke atnyernetyeke anwernekenhe atweye mapeke”. We have been writing and illustrating our own stories, to keep our language and art strong for our families. We want our kids to grow up with books that reflect our cultural wealth and knowledge, handed down to us over many thousands of years by our ancestors. These books help them learn to respect, speak, read and write their First Language – something that was denied to many of us and our elders in the past.
Photo credit: Bear Hunt.
Appearances