Pitjantjatjara words - Beliefs
Tjukurpa katutja ngarantja - Tjukurpa above everything else
Tjukurpa provides Anangu with a system of beliefs and morality by which we can judge right and wrong. It establishes the rules we use to govern society and manage land. Tjukurpa guides our daily life through a series of symbolic stories and metaphors. The stories represent complex explanations of the origins and structure of the universe.
Tjukurpa dictates correct procedures for dealing with problems and penalties for breaking the law. Since the coming of non-Aboriginal people we have had to modify some of the penalties under traditional law. We have also adapted non-Aboriginal law to help enforce Tjukurpa. For example our sacred sites are protected under Commonwealth and Northern Territory legislation and our hunting and foraging rights are protected under the legislation and lease agreement with Parks Australia.
Tjurkurpa is taught and remembered through specific verse of inma (songs and ritual dances) and rock art. The iwara (ancestral paths) are recalled as a long list of important sites.
Ceremony
Anangu word: Inma
Sounds like: In-ma
Creation time
This word has complex meaning - also means law, way of life, story
Anangu word: Tjukurpa
Sounds like: Chook-orr-pa
Devil dog
The monster of the Mala story
Anangu word: Kurpany
Sounds like: Core-pan
Name used instead of the name of a deceased person
Anangu word: Kunmanara
Sounds like: Koon-man-arr-a
The physical evidence of Tjukurpa
Anangu word: Tjukuritja
Sounds like: Chook-orr-icha
Watersnake
A wanampi lives in a waterhole and guards it against strangers. When approaching a waterhole traditionally you would alert the wanampi by making noise or lighting a small fire and announcing who you are. This is considered appropriate and necessary behaviour when not in your own country. Mutitjulu waterhole has a resident wanampi.
Anangu word: Wanampi
Sounds like: Wahr-nahm-pee
