Wanta Jampijinpa

Wanta Jampijinpa’s stories draw on the language of song and ceremony to promote intercultural dialogue. He is the founder of Milpirri, a biannual festival held in Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. Milpirri grounds social action in the environment through performance and cultural transmission. Wanta’s work defines how responsibilities to place are mapped to the everyday experience, including how we can reconceive and restore our relationship to the environment and as Kurdungulu (guardians) of Country.

Articles by Wanta Jampijinpa:

Published in Overland Issue 240 Spring 2020 · Culture

Say sorry to the land

Wanta Jampijinpa

There’s a saying. If you can live in this country. Don’t forget about the emu. We teach it to soar. Would you like to come hunting with me? I’m only saying this because if you want to achieve something, you go hunting. Does that mean you can go hunting today? Are you going hunting? I can see that you’re sitting down and not hunting. Do you agree with me that you’re not hunting? But to me, it’s hunting time.