Margaret Kemarre Turner facts for kids

Margaret Kemarre Turner, also known as M K Turner, was born in 1938. She is an important Arrernte woman from Central Australia. She is an elder in her community, an artist, and a writer. Margaret has also taught Arrernte language and culture at the Institute for Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs. She has helped people understand different cultures.

Early Life

Margaret was born near Harts Range, about 215 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Alice Springs. During World War II, her family had to move from their traditional land. This happened because many miners came to the area, and a large army base was built nearby.

The government first moved her family to a Catholic mission called Little Flower Mission. This was in 1937.

In 1942, the army moved her family again. They went to another Catholic mission at Arltunga. A few years later, they moved to Santa Teresa Mission, which is now called Ltyentye Apurte. This is where Margaret started her formal schooling.

Career and Contributions

Margaret Turner has had a long and active career working across Central Australia. She has achieved many important things:

• She is a skilled language interpreter. This means she helps people who speak different languages understand each other.
• She has taught classes about language and culture. She also taught about how different cultures can communicate well.
• Margaret works as an Anangkere, which is a traditional healer.
• She helped start the Irrkelantye Learning Centre. This center focuses on teaching Arrernte people across different generations.
• For many years, she has created beautiful paintings with Irrkerlantye Arts.
• She was a director for the Apmeraltye Ingkerreka project. This project created rules to protect Arrernte knowledge about native plants.
• Margaret is an elder on the board of Akeyulerre. This is a healing center for Aboriginal people in Central Australia.
• She is an ambassador for Children's Ground. This group works to help children and families.
• She worked on a project called "Fifty words that everyone living in Mparntwe should know." Mparntwe is the Arrernte name for Alice Springs.
• She has written several books.

Everything Margaret Turner has done in her career helps keep Arrernte land, language, and culture strong. She is a mother, grandmother, and great-great grandmother.

Books Written

Margaret has written important books that share Arrernte culture and knowledge:

• Bush Foods: Arrernte Foods of Central Australia: Nhenhe-areye Anwerne-arle Arlkweme (1996): This book is about traditional Arrernte foods.
• Iwenhe Tyerrtye: What It Means to Be an Aboriginal Person (2010): This book explains what it means to be an Aboriginal person.

Awards

• 1997 Medal of the Order of Australia: Margaret received this award for her great work with the Indigenous community in Central Australia. She was recognized for helping to save language and culture, and for her work as an interpreter.