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Mane-mane. Keeping culture strong.

Tyerrtyele ayeye altyerrenge-arle aneke akerte ileme, apmre akerte. Ayeye arratye ileme anthakenhe apeke-arle irreke akerte. Altyerre ahelheke ileme arrwekelenyele areye-arle ilerrirretyarte arteke. Ampe marlele arelhele ayeye ileme ahelheke ante apere irlpelhe, utyerrke irlpelhele arlke. Mane-manele irlpelhe itne nhenhe atwemele artwerreme arle akerte ayeye ilemele. Alakenhe renhe anwerne alyterre ilem ahelheke intelhe-ileme.

Aboriginal people tell stories about the Dreamtime and about the land, and they tell true stories about things that have happened. They tell stories on the ground like the old people used to. Girls and women tell stories on the ground using gum leaves or wild fig leaves to represent the characters. They hit the leaves with a special thin stick while they are telling a story about people fighting. Thatís how we tell stories and draw in the sand.

Arrethe irlpelhe apurte-ilemele akeme kele imernte athemele apeke, boilemeilemele aperke tyerrtye alhewelhemele arlke. Arrethe nhenhe mirrethene mwerre anthurre.

You pick the leaves of native fuchsias and gather them up and then mash them up. You boil this and wash someone with it or sometimes just paint it on. You can burn it in the fire too and inhale the smoke. Native fuchsia is a good medicine.

Altyerrenge-arle anwerneke artweye areye tyerryte arrpenhe ulkere-urrke apetyeke tyerrtye itne-arle aneme anteme imernte irremele, alakenhe akwete anteme anemele lyete, inteyeke intelhe-ileme anwerneke ileke nthenheke kwatye inetyeke merne, kere arlke.

Our ancestors came here in the Dreaming in a different form at first, only later becoming the way they are today. They painted things in caves to tell us where to find water and food.

Kele artwe arrpenhele itnenhe aretye-alpemele, ngkwarle urltampe-akerte. Wale, artwe arrpenhe re ampere-irrenheke artwe antekerre-iperre ikwere. Kele male-male akwele re anyente-irretyeke alheke, ngkwarle impenhemele. Male-male akwele re irrwernterele alheke.

A man came along carrying some wild honey and saw (the first white men in this part of the country). This man came up past the men from the south. Then he left his honey behind him and went up to meet them in the traditional way. He approached them sideways carrying his weapons, in the traditional way.

Acknowledgement: Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary, John Henderson and Veronic Dobson, 1994, IAD Press, Alice Springs.