Watiku Tjina Ankunytja (Men’s Walk)

Fifty Aṉangu men- Elders, cultural leaders, young men and boys from the NPY region - undertook a week-long Watiku Tjina Ankunytja (men’s walk) over three days across 60km from Tjunti Creek to Kaltjukutjara in the NT. 

This Anangu-led initiative, supported by NPY Women’s Council’s Uti Kulintjaku Watiku initiative, addressed intergenerational learning. The walk was made possible by the efforts of several Aboriginal organisations working together with the common aim of creating an opportunity for senior Aṉangu men to share knowledge and experience with younger men as they travelled through Aṉangu country by foot. 

The walk also provides a welcome opportunity for Aṉangu men of all ages to leave the distraction, noise and confusion of community life for spaces where they can see the stars, hear the birds and feel the wind. Living in a remote community can be difficult for young people. Isolation, lack of meaningful employment opportunities, boredom, high use of cannabis and intra-family conflict can create a stressful environment. For many young people the response to this stressful environment is to withdraw into homes and bedrooms and to escape through phones, online gaming and smoking ganja.

Central Land Council, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Education Committee (PYEC) and Department of Social Services supported NPY Women’s Council to make this event successful. Most importantly, we acknowledge the leadership and care of the senior Aṉangu men who supported the walk and shared their knowledge.

Traveling by foot (tjina ankunytja) through a landscape alive with the spirit of ancestral beings and following in the footsteps of past generations is an intensive educational experience. For the Uti Kulintjaku Watiku team, Tjina Ankunytja Watiku (men’s walks) are above all an opportunity for knowledge to be passed on from knowledgeable older men to younger men.

The Uti Kulintjaku Watiku (Men’s) walk was an important opportunity for young men to be together and to learn from older Aṉangu men who share their knowledge with care and encouragement. These Aṉangu ways of teaching and learning are often in sharp contrast to mainstream education.