PRIDoC 2012 Location

Alice Springs

Mparntwe (Alice Springs) is located in the Northern Territory and is home to some 28,000 people. Alice Springs is located within three hours flying time from every mainland Australian capital with daily direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Cairns and Uluru. During September and October temperatures in Alice Springs can vary. From October to March the average daily maximum temperature in Alice Springs is over 30°C.

The Creation of Alice Springs

The Caterpillar ancestors, Yeperenye, Utnerrengatye and Ntyarike are the major creation forces of this area known as Alice Springs. They came from far and wide, from the north, the south, the east and the west.

They came to Mparntwe, a particularly sacred place in Alice Springs and they had battles with the Iriperenye, the green stink bug. The whole area around Alice Springs is rich in battle grounds, cocoon sites, dance grounds and campsites used by the Caterpillar ancestors. These are called stories and song lines.

The Caterpillars ran away as the Iriperenye (stink bug) killed most of the Yeperenye Caterpillars. The ranges around Alice Springs are the bodies of the Yeperenye and the gaps are the heads that were bitten off by their enemies. The insides of the Yeperenye became the rocks around the area. The Yeperenye that survived created the rivers and the trees.

Individual trees, especially those that have the shape of a warrior engaged in battle are sacred objects. The large trees have great spiritual powers and each one has a different name. When they die the powers pass naturally to the closest small tree. This power gets passed on for generations and generations.

The creation stories of the Central Arrernte people are abound with drama, beauty, humour and ecological facts. The creation stories reveal, in a humble and understated way, the triumph of Indigenous people as sensitive observers of the natural world. Certainly the Yeperenye demonstrates the cross cultural potential of the creation stories to educate, inspire and uplift us all.

Sourced from Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation.

Venue

The venue for PRIDoC 2012 was the Alice Springs Convention Centre, Northern Territory.