Clip description
Sweeping aerial views show Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Voice-over narration tells us that the landscape of Mparntwe was created by ancestral beings as they travelled through the country. Elder Max Stuart explains the principles of the Dreaming, and that it is like ‘a big book’.
Curator’s notes
The custodians of Mparntwe have to contend with developers when they attempt to maintain the sacred sites. The township of Alice Springs is built over Arrernte sacred sites, and Arrernte elder Max Stuart tells us that, despite the presence of the township, the Dreaming is still happening. In this clip we are introduced to the concept that, although the western township of Alice Springs was built over important Arrernte cultural sites which interrupts the Arrernte people’s cultural practice, the Dreaming itself is still happening.