Awely

Before batiks and paintings established Kam Kngwarray as one of Australia's most renowned artists, the Alhalker community knew her as a body painter and awely (ceremony) leader. Holding a deep and intimate knowledge of song, dance, and body painting, Kam shared her knowledge with the Alhalker community, and led many of the awelys.

Untitled, 1994-95, is one of Kam's key works representing the body painting lines, colours, and practices she learnt from her mother. Kelli Cole says that the colours in this work are particularly significant, as Kam used various shades to replicate the ochre paints used in awely, whilst interacting how skin tone affects the colour of the ochre once applied on the body. The significance and use of ochres and other ceremonial practices in First Nations culture is often not shared outside of the community, as to protect the cultural sacredness of ceremony. This makes Kam Kngwarray's art powerful and generous, offering a chance to view and appreciate Anmatyerr culture.

As we paint up for the Country, we feel sorry... and it makes us sad. But the awely ceremonies make us happy and strong as well. It's our Country.
Margaret & Melissa Kngwarray Long, Anmatyerr people

Research

• What type of body painting designs are used by your local Traditional Owners or Custodians?
• Do their body paintings connect to or represent the local plants and animals, stories, or other cultural practices?
• How is it damaging and insensitive to expect First Nations communities to share culturally sacred information?

One of the most sacred and important awely's to the Alhalker women celebrates and connects to ankerr, the emu. As Barabara Kngwarray Long says, our old grandmother Emily Kam taught us a long time ago. This awely song is hers. Kam Kngwarray held a deep respect and knowledge of ankerr and its awelys. Not only did she dance, sing, and tell stories of the ankerr, she also expressed the songs and dances of ankerr awely in her practice. In Song of the Emu, 1991, Kam paints the repeated rhythms of song and replicates the gestures and textures of ankerr awely. Kam creates a landscape and places the awely in a scene of seasonal change, when the rich palette of flowers blanket Alhalker.

Due to impacts of colonisation and displacement, many songs, stories, and ceremonies across First Nations Australia went quiet. Fortunately, Anmatyerr women have access to recordings of Kam Kngwarray singing the awely song of the emu. In early 2023 a women's camp was held on Alhalker Country. The women played Kam Kngwarray's recording and sang the songs of ankerr and various other awely.

The teenage girls came along (to the camp), and they were learning as they watched the women's ceremonies... so they will be able to dance in the future.
Jedda Kngwarray Purvis, Anmatyerr people

Reflect

• What is an example of generational learning you have been a part of? It could be in school, at home, or in your hobbies/interests.
• Who did you learn from and what did you learn?
• How are you going to play a role in passing down that knowledge to the next generations?

For the Anmatyerr people, awely connects to and celebrates Country, extending to the plants and practices of Country. Artist Ada Petyarr Bird painted the Anmatyerr awely of bread making in Sacred Grasses, 1989. It is a story of awely, community, and spirituality. In the Anmatyerr community, the women are responsible for collecting grass seeds, which are then used to make bread. This is an essential cultural practice that has been handed down across generations, for time immemorial. The women grind the seeds, turn it into a dough, and cook it on a fire, and as they do this, they sing, dance, and perform awely. In this awely, the women express their gratitude and respect for the grass spirits, as they look over them.

Research

• How has First Nations bush foods and medicines been shared with non-First Nations people?
• What types of plants and animals have been shared from your region?
• What are examples of ethical and non-ethical use of First Nations food and medicinal practices?

Inspired by the generational learning of awely, think further about when you have been a part of generational learning, what you learnt, and how you're going to continue the generational knowledge path.

Building off this experience, answer the following questions with one or two words.

- What is your generational knowledge?

- Who gave you this knowledge?

- When was this knowledge first created?

- What traits were passed down with this knowledge?

- Who will hold this knowledge into the future?

With your collection of words, form a creative response. Write or draw to show how the knowledge has made a journey from the past, to you, and into the future.