When Shirley Kngwarraye Turner looks out across Alice Springs from the top of Anzac Hill, she sees houses, roads and pedestrians walking below but, first and foremost, she sees Mparntwe.
"Mparntwe is our place, people see it as a town, and to us, the Arrernte people, it's a sacred place — we see things they can't see," she said.
"Not many people can see them, but we know the sacred sites are there.
"Every hill has a story, and even the trees have got stories."
Ms Turner is one of dozens of Arrernte traditional owners who have helped create Awemele Itelaretyeke — an app that has been designed to help visitors to Arrernte country learn more about the area.
The app includes two walking tours of Alice Springs — or Mparntwe — that layer Arrernte language with recollections from recent history and traditional stories.
Users can follow signs and markings around the town and hear from the region's traditional owners as they go.
Learning language
The app also helps listeners learn the Arrernte language, and its co-creators hoped that visitors would take the Arrernte language home with them.
"When you go to other countries, you know language is everywhere," Ms Turner said.
"One day someone could go to the shops, go to the cafe and say 'werte' [hello], you know, like when you go to other countries people learn a language."
"Well on Arrernte country, learn Arrernte."
Users can hear 50 Arrernte words and 30 phrases read aloud by Arrernte speakers.
"We want people to go back to their country and say: 'Look, I've been to Central Australia and I know a bit of Arrernte, here's my proof 'kele mwerre' [OK good]," co-creator and traditional owner Benedict Stevens said.
Co-creator of the app, Beth Sometimes, hoped Alice Springs residents would also use the app.
"I think learning Arrernte is going to be more meaningful for people who live in Mparntwe to connect with Arrernte people over time — understand where they live," she said.
Ms Sometimes speaks fluent Pitjantjatjara, another Central Australian language, and is learning Arrernte.
"I think it's one of the richest experiences of my life, in terms of what it has helped me to understand, and the relationships that it's given me," she said.
Revealing what's been covered
Traditional owners involved in making the app hoped people would understand what the country meant to them.
Co-creator Peter Wallace said it was important that visitors understood that, despite the destruction of some sacred sites, their stories were still important.
"If you go to Todd Mall and see that big country, that's my grandfather's dreaming. At the Memo Club, next to the hospital, that's my grandfather's dreaming," Mr Wallace said.
"We're here to teach you, whoever you are, about our country and the stories we were told while we grew up.
"It's been destroyed, but not in [our minds]."
Walking Together is taking a look at our nation's reconciliation journey and where we've been and asks the question — where do we go next?
Join us as we listen, learn and share stories from across the country that unpack the truth-telling of our history and embrace the rich culture and language of Australia's First People.
