Inawinytji Stanley, Minyma Kutjara Wingellina, 81x51cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Inawinytji Stanley
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 24-242
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen
• Size(cm) - H81 W51 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This is the story of the older sister going a long way to get her younger sister and bring her back. They went through many places on the way, but I will only talk about a short bit of their journey at Wingellina. Two women who both came from up high and stayed awhile. They both could see that Docker River was close. And as they were sitting there they performed ceremony, inma. After, they both threw away their weapons, they threw them away. Their head-rings, they threw away their head-rings. Then they got up and left. They went to another place, a hollow called Kantarangkutjara and then they travelled on to Docker River. The story of their travels after Docker River belongs to the Docker River people and others in distant country. My part of the story is short.

Inawinytji Stanley was born in Ernabella in 1967 to Nungalka and Stanley from Young's Well. She is the younger sister of Renita and is part of a family that is strong in both law and in the art centre. Inawinytji commenced working at the art centre in the 1990's and was involved in several group exhibitions and workshops between 1996 and 1998. She then left the community to live in Alice Springs, and after a long absence returned to Ernabella in 2008 and immediately became a very active participant in the newly revived Ceramics Studio. Inawinytji has been exhibited around Australia many times since 1996, including in Yangupala Tjuta Waakarinyi (Many Young People Working) at Sabbia Gallery, Sydney, and Bold and the Beautiful at Talapi, Alice Springs, both in 2015.

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers  a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iwiri strengthens the Aṉangu community through cultural and arts activities, creating employment opportunities and enterprise development. We want our young people to be strong in their language and culture and to take up opportunities to work in our community.