Alyawarre facts for kids

The Alyawarre people, also known as the Iliaura, are an Aboriginal Australian group from the Northern Territory. There are about 1,200 Alyawarre people who actively keep their local traditions alive, like awelye painting.

Where the Alyawarre Live

The Alyawarre people traditionally lived on a large area of land, about 46,150 square kilometers (17,800 square miles). This land included the Sandover and Bundey rivers, as well as Ooratippra and Fraser creeks. Important places in their traditional country include Mount Swan, the northern part of Harts Range, and areas around the Plenty River. They also lived near the Jervois Range, Mount Playford, and the Elkedra River. You could also find them at MacDonald Downs and Huckitta.

Part of the Utopia community, which is about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north-east of Alice Springs, is on Alyawarre land. The other part belongs to the Anmatyerre people.

Alyawarre Language

The Alyawarre people speak their own language, which is called Alyawarre. It is a dialect of the Upper Arrernte language.

How Alyawarre Society Works

The Alyawarre people have a special system for marriage, which involves four main groups. This system helps to keep families and communities strong.

• Pitjara
• Kngwarija
• Kimara
• Pula

Alyawarre Population

In 1969, it was thought there were about 500 to 600 Alyawarre people. They mostly lived near Lake Nash, the Georgina River, McDonald Downs, the Bundey River, and the Warrabri Reserve.

More recently, in the 2016 Australian Census, 347 Alyawarre people were counted in the "Utopia - Arawerr - Arlparra" area. In most of their homes, people spoke Alyawarre or another Indigenous language, with only a small number speaking only English.

Land Rights: Native Title

In 1980, the Alyawarre people, along with the Anmatyerre people, made a land claim for the Utopia area. They also made a claim with the Wakaya people for land around a remote community called Purrukwarra.

Because of these claims, the Alyawarre were given back 2,065 square kilometers (797 square miles) of their land on October 22, 1992. The Wakaya people also received 1,874 square kilometers (723 square miles). These were important steps in recognizing their traditional ownership of the land.

Other Ways to Spell Alyawarre

You might see the name Alyawarre spelled in different ways, such as:

• Aliawara, Alyawara, Alyawarra
• Alyawarr, Aljawarra
• Ilawara
• Iliaura, Illiaura, Iljaura, Ilyaura
• Illura
• Ilyowra Illyowra
• Jaljuwara
• Yalyuwara

Some Alyawarre Words

Here are a few words from the Alyawarre language:

• agira. (kangaroo)
• aranga (emu)
• aringka. (dog, dingo)
• irampa. (honey-ant)

Famous Alyawarre People

Many talented people come from the Alyawarre community, especially artists.

• Emily Kame Kngwarreye, a very famous artist.
• Ngarla Kunoth, who acted in the 1956 film Jedda. She is now the Chancellor of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.
• Kathleen Petyarre, an artist who is both Alyawarre and Eastern Anmatyerre.
• Gloria Petyarre, an artist.
• Nancy Petyarre, an artist.
• Jeanna Petyarre, an artist.
• Minnie Pwerle, an artist from both the Alyawarre and Anmatyerre language groups.
• Elkin Reilly, who played Australian Rules Football for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
• Barbara Weir, an artist.