Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands leader and artist Kunmanara Williams wrote 'Kulinmaya! Keep Listening Everybody!' specifically for the teenage boys in his community, but also for politicians and high school students everywhere. Through Pitjantjatjara and English, he tells of his ancestors' fight for official APY Land Rights Recognition; his own activism for sustainable land management, acknowledgement of sacred heritage sites and rights of traditional owners. Mr Williams’ artwork makes subversive use of Australia Post canvas mailbags as the medium for his land rights advocacy. (‘Theft or misuse of this bag is a criminal offence - penalties apply’). Kunmanara Williams' painting offering commentaries on British nuclear tests at Maralinga and Emu Plains on APY Lands with no consultation of Indigenous People are particularly pertinent to the Land Rights movement. This biographical text and artwork exemplifies contemporary Aboriginal art as a political force. It is a significant work for young readers.
Mr Williams was born in 1952 in Inturtjanu on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) of South Australia, and became one of the most renowned political artists in the country. He learnt to read and write in Pitjantjatjara and English at the Ernabella Mission School, before working as a stockman, carpenter and pastor. As a young man, he was active in the APY land rights movement that led to the signing of the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act in 1981 and the return of land to Anangu. As a renowned ngangkari (traditional healer), pastor of the Mimili Community church and political activist, he proudly shared and protected the knowledge and duties given to him through his culture. In his art practice, he addressed issues including governance, sustainable land management, the protection of sacred heritage sites, and the rights of traditional owners. (Courtesy of the Allen & Unwin Publisher website)
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
