Arrernte people

The Arrernte (Aranda) people Mparntwe, Alice Springs, and the MacDonnell Ranges of Central Australia, speaking Arrernte dialects that still sound in town camps and city suburbs alike. Their spirituality turns on Altyerre, the Dreaming law, and Altjira who made the Inapertwa creatures; tjurunga stones and boards hold each person's ancestral charge. The Arrernte Council speaks for the lands within the Central Land Council. Telegraph station, missions and tourism built Alice Springs on Arrernte ground, and Albert Namatjira's watercolours carried the ranges to the world. Town campers, painters of the desert dot schools, rangers and the annual Beanie Festival keep Arrernte country laughing. Mparntwe townspeople still speak Arrernte dialects daily. Alice Springs tourists photograph the ranges Arrernte own. Central Land Council lawyers defend Arrernte title. Arrernte Council meetings still open with Altyerre business. Inapertwa creatures still walk the songlines. Tjurunga boards are still hidden from uninitiated eyes. Tourism dollars fund Arrernte ranger programs.