Peppimenarti, Northern Territory
| Peppimenarti Northern Territory | |
|---|---|
  Peppimenarti | |
| Coordinates | 14°9′21″S 130°4′54″E / 14.15583°S 130.08167°ECoordinates: 14°9′21″S 130°4′54″E / 14.15583°S 130.08167°E |
| Population | 185 (2006 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 0822 |
| Location | |
| Territory electorate(s) | Daly |
| Federal Division(s) | Lingiari |
Peppimenarti is an Aboriginal community in the Daly River region of the Northern Territory, Australia. Peppimenarti or ‘Peppi’ as it is known is situated on Tom Turner Creek approximately 320 km south west of Darwin. With a population of between 190 and 250, (190 in the 2011 Census) it is 120 km west of the Daly River crossing along the Port Keats Road. The Peppimenarti area has a total of 119.50 km of sealed and unsealed roads. There is road access to Peppimenarti seven (7) months of the year with the remainder being flooded during the wet season, or roads in too poor of a condition to travel on. The only access to Peppimenarti during the wet season is via plane. The mail plane flies to the community on Tuesday’s and Friday’s for delivery and pick up and charters are available. The main language spoken in Peppimenarti is Tyemirri with English being the second most predominant in the area.
Etymology
The locality name is drawn from the Aboriginal words Peppi (rock) and menarti (large), referring to the rock formation that overlooks the community. At its base is a wide stream and a series of pools which form a significant sacred site.
History
In the early 1970s, the independent Aboriginal organisation Unia campaigned for the establishment of a cattle station within the Daly River Aboriginal Reserve as a permanent home for the local Ngangikurrunggurr people. As a result, a 2,000 square kilometres (772 sq mi) pastoral lease was granted, and later consolidated by the Northern Territory Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976.T
Harold Wilson, a prominent member of Unia, was instrumental in the community’s establishment. Wilson was born in Peppimenarti country, and after being removed from his family and sent to government institutions as a child, he decided to return there as an adult with his wife Regina and family, to set up a permanent settlement. He later became the President of the Peppimenarti Association and used his Aboriginal and European heritage to negotiate the ‘translation of Aboriginal needs into European contexts while preserving authentic Aboriginal voices in the decision making process’.[2]
At the 2006 census, Peppimenarti had a population of 185.[1]
Artistic heritage
A group of artists from the community launched an art program named 'Durrmu Arts'in 2001. Durrmu Arts is now renowned for its contemporary acrylic painting and fibre weaving work. Regina and fellow artist Teresa Lemon took part in the 2003 Pacific Arts Festival in Nouméa and have since been included in numerous state and regional exhibitions around Australia. Regina Wilson won the General Painting Prize at the 2003 Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award and her paintings were included in the exhibition 'Dreaming their Way' at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington DC, USA. Slim Dusty has a popular folk song titled 'Plains of Peppimenarti' where he sings that Peppimenarti "is the one place I like to go."
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Peppimenarti (Indigenous Location)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ↑ Peppimenarti Basketmakers, Robin Hodgson, 1975.