- Education
Ntaria School – Learning-with Western Arrarnta Country
'On Country' Animation - 2014
The ‘On Country’ animation was created by middle years students from ARRA class (years 8-9) at Ntaria school, located 150km west of Mparntwe-Alice Springs. The animation was part of the ‘Learning-with Country’ program developed in partnership with community Elders, artists, storytellers, and historians from, Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre – home of the Namatjira watercolour artists – Hermannsburg Potters, Big hART and the Strehlow Research Centre.
As a teacher deeply responsive to the reciprocal relationships between students, Elders, Country, and community, I develop lesson plans and assessment schedules that weave together the Australian Curriculum with M.K. Turner’s curriculum and pedagogy, From the Ground Up. This approach includes numerous on-Country visits, where learning takes place alongside significant cultural teachers—and with Country itself as an agential entity.
The Colour of Western Arrarnta Water
Large scale watercolour painting at the Namatjira to Now watercolour exhibition at Parliament House, Canberra in 2015. This artwork was painted whilst visiting Western Arrarnta scared sites including Lhara Beinta-Finke River.
Watercolour Gallery at the National Gallery of Australia, Ngambri-Canberra.
ARRA class students where taught by senior Iltja Ntjarra watercolour artists – Lenie Namatjira, Kevin Namatjira, Gloria Pannka, Peter Taylor Tjutjatja, Betty Namatjira Wheeler, Selma Nunay Coulthard and classroom teachers Melanie Malbunka, Beth Inkamala, and Wendy Cowan.
The animation was exhibited regionally and nationally with accompanying artwork by students and senior watercolour artists from Iltjia Ntjarra Art Centre.
Exhibitions
- 2015. Namatjira to Now, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT.
- 2015. We are in WonderLAND: new experimental art from Central Australia, UNSW Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
- 2014. Five Generations of Namatjira, Araluen Art Gallery, Mparntwe – Alice Springs, Central Australia.
Painting on Western Arrarnta Country with Hermannsburg watercolour artists - 2012 to 2014.
ARRA class travelled to Tnorala-Gosse Bluff, Mpulungkinya-Palm Valley and along the Lhara Beinta-Finke River to paint with Elders.
Running time: 2 mins
ARRA class worked on a number of Learning-with Country programs including:
The Ultimate Bike Challenge - 2013
ARRA class show what it takes to prepare and complete the ultimate bike challenge.
Starting from scratch, they unloaded second-hand bikes donated by NT Police. They repair them, learn safety rules in preparation for the ‘ultimate bike challenge’. A 6k cycle around Ntaria town shire.
As a team they worked out how to carry a cup of rice, garbage bag full of air, an egg, an old boot, a traffic cone and a single crisp – across a rough track. The purpose was to return to base with all items intact using only a piece of string and a length of wire.
As part of this program, the class cycled from Flynn’s Grave to Simpsons Gap, completed a range of time trials and went on two overnight cycles to Mpulungkinya-Palm Valley and Cycad Gorge. All of these activities, as well as bike maintenance, designing and making bike racks, were part of a Literacy, Design,Technology and Physical Fitness unit designed by Wendy Cowan (Middle Years teacher) and Robyn Ellis (VET trainer).
This video was created in partnership with Big hART and was a finalist in the 2013 Bike Film Festival at Olive Pink Gardens, Central Australia
Running time: 8 mins
Ntaria Heroes film - 2016
‘Ntaria Heroes’ is a school-based community collaborative project made with ARRA class students, cultural custodians/researchers based at Ntaria-Hermannsburg and Mparntwe-Alice Springs, and film makers-researchers from Western Sydney University.
Students visited the Strehlow Research Centre under the guidance of elders and Indigenous researchers. They were shown genealogies (family trees) going back three generations and photographs of their ancestors. This visit is extended by a day spent at the historical precinct of Hermannsburg – a former Lutheran mission. Here the students visited heritage buildings including an old church where community members of an older generation were baptised and married. The students were then invited to visit Ilpolera a Western Arrarnta significant cultural site by its custodians – Kurturngula, Mavis and Kym Malbunka where they directly experience the spiritual connections made through listening to their family stories and Lutheran mission histories.
Running time: 32 mins
Ntaria School Kadaitcha story
This beautiful video was created by Arra class students, Gavin Emitja, Eric Malbunka, and Irwin Ngalaia with Shannon and Davo from BIG hART.
Running time: 4 mins
Superheroes: History of Sport
Ntaria middle years students go back as time travellers to learn about sport their grandparents played.
Photos were sourced from the Strehlow Research Centre and from the book ‘The History of Hermannsburg’.
Running time: 3 mins
History of Schooling
The ARRA class young women go back to the old school house in the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct to tell the history of schooling. They then return to the classroom to tell the story of school now and their vision for the future. Semra White narrates this story.
Running time: 3 mins
History Of School Buildings From Missionary Times To Now And The Future
Intrigued to find out about how schools have developed in Ntaria since the missionary days. Which buildings are still standing and what type of building is required in the future. This digital story explains it all. Narrated by Cheyanne Raggett and Menam Malbunka.
Running time: 3 mins
Kuprilya Races
Hip-hop video of Kuprilya Races from a young persons perspective. Writing and recited poetry became a hip-hop sound track, which became a music video – easy!
Winner of a National Remote Media Festival Award, 2013.
Film created in partnership with ABC Open.
Running time: 3 mins
The Man From Snowy River
Finalist in the Fist Full of Films NT Event, 2013. Film created in partnership with hip-hop artists Dan the Underdog and Ash McDee.
Running time: 2 mins
Hermannsburg Potters and ARRA class students
When ARRA class were learning about ‘Deep time history of Australia’ the Hermannsburg potters has recently returned from a ceramic residency to China to learn how Chinese pots told significant stories. Hermannsburg pots are renowned for showing Western Arrarnta cultural stories.
For a term, ARRA students worked alongside the Hermannsburg potters to paint a Chinese Tang dynasty (618-907) inspired pot alongside a Western Arrarnta inspired pot.. Each week students arrived in the ceramic studio with posters of what they had learnt in class about life during the Tang dynasty to share with the potters. The potters shared their stories through their artwork and creative processes.