Awelye-Atnwengerrp - Minnie Pwerle

The manner in which Minnie Pwerle created her works was the result of an urgency to reconnect to the past and to keep the Dreaming a living reality. In painting after painting, she depicted the body designs applied to women's chests and limbs for the regular ceremonial revivification of her country.

These bold linear patterns of stripes and curves evoke the movement of the women as they dance during the ceremony. After smearing their bodies with animal fat, they trace these designs onto their skin, singing as each woman 'painted up'. Then, often by firelight, they dance in formation accompanied by songs relating to the Dreamtime stories of ancestral travel as well as plants, animals, and natural forces.

Awelye-Women's ceremony demonstrates respect for the land. These ceremonies ensure well-being and happiness within the community.