Article: The Birth of NPYWC

The Birth of NPYWC

This picture of Purki Edwards AO helps tell the story of strong Anangu women and how they organised themselves in the face of exclusion from important political, cultural and land rights conversations in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

At this time important land right conversations were beginning in the NPY Lands as Anangu were understanding that they were being governed from afar and their land was under the control of government bodies. The Pitjantjatjara Council was established to support these conversations.

A sign of the times, the meetings were led by male politicians and anthropologists, and attended by Anangu men. Women were present at the meetings, watching from nearby, but were not allowed to speak.

Uneasy to be talking about land in close proximity to women, the Anangu men told women to leave the meeting.

The women knew they had their own important cultural connection to land, and had equal say as custodians of country. They wanted to protect and represent women’s law and country in these discussions.

The cassette

In May 1980, in a caravan in Kalka, Mantatjara Wilson supported by other key Anangu women recorded an invitation on a cassette tape.

It said “I have been thinking about all you women from every community….I have been thinking that we women should hold our own women’s meeting. We should think about having our own female chairperson and our own women’s council.”

Mantatjara talked about her concerns for the whole 2 sides of the cassette. Concerns about being left out of important meetings unable to speak, concerns that resources for communities were only being directed by men, concerns about issues facing families in communities. The cassette was then copied and sent to women all across the NPY lands. The first Women’s Council meeting was held at Kanpi on the 6 & 7 of December 1980 and were attended by 40 women from across the NPY Lands .

NPYWC is celebrating 40 years in 2020.

Domestic & Family Violence

I have found something meaningful to me

“My work keeps opening doors inside of me………….I will never stop doing this.”

In 2018, Dianne attended a workshop run by the NPYWC Domestic & Family Violence Service (DFVS). The workshop was for people that may be interested in working with them, helping Anangu women and families that are impacted by domestic & family violence.

I was a bit shy and nervous Dianne said. But I saw one of the NPYWC Directors, Mrs Smith and she said “I am glad you are here. This is going to change you and your spirit… you will be a different person inside.”

“Listening in the workshop, I thought: I have found something that means something to me.”

Working with the DFVS offers me levels of growing, I keep learning. I began to understand what domestic violence was.

A key job for Dianne in her work as an Anangu Support Worker is translation. For Dianne, translation is not just about changing the words from English to Pitjantjara but also translating meanings and concepts. English has a lot of technical words, especially around the law. Dianne helps create resources and use relatable concepts to help people understand more about domestic violence.

“Many people don’t understand how laws affect them. They don’t understand the power of judges to separate families and what restraining orders mean.”

“My job with the DVFS is like a bridge.”

Dianne and her team also run workshops in remote communities. The workshops create a safe space for women to talk about domestic violence and about what to do if violence approaches their lives.

In the office Dianne plays an important role in supporting women that have been impacted by, or are worried about domestic violence. “I sit with the women and make them feel safe and comfortable. I give them advice on how to think through things slowly so they can work them out.”

Domestic Violence has such negative connotations, sometimes people don’t want to engage with learning about it. “It is important to learn from the past, people in the future need to know the past even though sometimes it is sad.”

About Dianne

Dianne grew up in Kaltjiti (Fregon, SA) and Pukatja (Ernabella, SA). She remembers her childhood playing with friends and family, waiting for the rain to fill up waterholes so she could go swimming, digging for imaginary honey ants and catching lizards. Dianne went up to year 11 at Ernabella Anangu School and went on to study further at TAFE and Bachelor College in 1993.

A talented artist, Dianne has also worked with Kaltjiti Art from 1996. In 2001 Dianne began a teaching degree with AnTEP through the University of South Australia and completed this in 2007. She worked as an Anangu teacher at Ernabella Anangu School from 2008 and continued up until 2015. Dianne has been with the NPY Women’s Council DVFS team since 2018.

General

Support for COVID-19 travel restrictions to NT

NPY Women’s Council supports the call to protect remote and regional Aboriginal communities from Coronavirus (COVID-19) by restricting travel into the NT by making the NT and the tristate central desert region a special control area.

“We are extremely worried about our senior members of the community and their susceptibility to the virus. They are our anchors and caretakers of this ancient culture.” NPY Women’s Council CEO, Liza Balmer

NPY Women’s Council as a member of the Combined Aboriginal Organisations of Central Australia attended a special meeting yesterday to discuss the threat of COVID- 19 to Aboriginal communities across Central Australia.

“All organisations were really clear that we need to make the entire NT and the tristate region a Special Control Area for COVID – 19. This means that we want to apply the same travel restrictions that apply to international visitors nationally to visitors to the Northern Territory from any Australian jurisdiction.” Combined Aboriginal Organisations of Central Australia

Restricting travel into the NT by introducing a 14 day quarantine for all people arriving from interstate would act to reduce the spread of COVID–19 in what is currently a COVID–19 free region.

While it is critical we have food and supplies moving across borders into the NT, restricting the movement of people across the Territories borders is beneficial to the prevention and spread of COVID – 19 into remote Aboriginal communities.

Currently NPY Women’s Council has stopped travel for all non-essential services staff to remote communities. NPYWC has also implemented restrictions on staff traveling from overseas, NSW or Victoria who will now need to self-quarantine / work from home for 14 days after arrival to minimise risk of transmission. All Staff travelling from other states and territories will be required to self-isolate / work from home for 5 days.

NPY Women's Council is grounded in, and continues to live and work on, the sovereign Lands of the Arrernte people, and the Aṉangu and Yarnangu people - the rightful custodians of the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Lands.

The Birth of NPYWC

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