Margaret Kemarre Turner

Margaret Kemarre Turner, also known as M K Turner, OAM (born 1938 - ) is an Arrernte woman, who belongs to the Akarre people and she is an elder in her community, interpreter, artist and author. She has also being involved with the Institute for Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs where she has taught language, culture and cross-cultural courses.[1]

Early life

Turner was born nearby the Spotted Tiger Bore of Harts Range, approximately. 215 km north-east of Alice Springs, until her family was moved off the land due to an influx of miners and the creation of a large army base during World War II.[1][2]

The family were initially moved by the government to the Catholic Church's Little Flower Mission in 1937 on Charles Creek; nearby The Bungalow.[1][3]

The family were moved again in 1942, by the army, to the Catholic mission at Arltunga[1] and, within a few years were moved to Santa Teresa Mission, now Ltyentye Apurte, where she started her formal education.[4]

Career

Turner has had a long career working across Central Australia and some of her key achievements are:[5][4]

  • Acting as a qualified language interpreter
  • Teaching language and culture classes, as well as cross-cultural communication at the Institute for Aboriginal Development
  • Working as an Anangkere (traditional healer)
  • Being a founding member of Irrkelantye Learning Centre; focusing on inter-generational learning for Arrernte people
  • Painting with Irrkerlantye Arts for many years.
  • Being a director of the Apmeraltye Ingkerreka project; developing protocols to protect Arrernte intellectual property in native plants
  • An elder to the board of Akeyulerre; the Central Australian Aboriginal Healing centre
  • Being an ambassador for Children's Ground
  • Working on the "Fifty words that everyone living in Mparntwe should know" project
  • Authoring the books listed in works (below).

Everything that Turner has done in her career is with the aim to keep Arrernte country, language and culture strong.[4]

Turner is a mother, grandmother and great-great grandmother.[4]

Works

Bush Foods : Arrernte Foods of Central Australia: Nhenhe-areye Anwerne-arle Arlkweme Margaret Kemarre Turner, Shawn Dobson, Alice Springs : IAD Press, 1996 life story

Iwenhe Tyerrtye : What It Means to Be an Aboriginal Person Margaret Kemarre Turner, Barry McDonald, Jill Walsh (editor), Margaret Kemarre Turner (translator), Veronica Dobson  (translator), Alice Springs : IAD Press, 2010 selected work life story

Awards
  • 1997 Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the Indigenous Community of Central Australia; particularly in relation to preserving language and culture and working as an interpreter.[5]

References
  1. "Margaret Kemarre Turner: (author/organisation) | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  2. "Spotted Tiger Bore on Harts Range returned | Central Land Council, Australia". www.clc.org.au. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. Traynor, Stuart (2016). Alice Springs : from singing wire to iconic outback town. Mile End, South Australia. ISBN 9781743054499. OCLC 958933012.
  4. "Margaret Kemarre Turner". Council for Australian Catholic Women. n.d.
  5. "Children's Ground - Ambassadors". www.childrensground.org.au. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
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