PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY  PROJECT 

Creation through song: Women’s Awelye of Akwerlpe
Kaytetye women-led project revitalising Awelye (women’s ceremonial song, dance and body-painting traditions) through intergenerational practice.
Primary Project Location: Ali Curung, NT

This two-year, place-based participatory arts project centres the revitalisation of women’s Awelye connected to Akwerlpe Country on Kaytetye lands in Central Australia. Led by Kaytetye women, the project responds to community priorities to strengthen intergenerational knowledge exchange and cultural wellbeing through creative practice. 

“This project comes from the guidance of senior women who have asked us to come together to reawaken these Awelye songs on Country. This project brings together ceremony, song and creative practice to strengthen women’s Awelye connected to Akwerlpe Country. Guided by Elders, we’ll work across generations to reawaken songs, create new artefacts and share this living cultural knowledge through art.” 
- Rona Glynn-McDonald

 ABOUT RONA 

Rona is a Kaytetye producer, DJ and multidisciplinary storyteller from Mparntwe (Alice Springs), performing under the moniker RONA. Her practice sits at the intersection of electronic music, storytelling and narrative change, drawing on the soundscapes and knowledge held in desert Country and translating them into immersive dancefloor experiences. Through field recordings, synthesis and narrative driven performance, she explores themes of place, memory, futurism and the power held within people and Country.

Alongside her artistic practice, Rona has worked extensively in the social change sector to support First Nations storytelling and economic justice. She is the founding CEO of Common Ground, a national First Nations led not for profit dedicated to shifting narratives and amplifying First Nations voices and perspectives. She is also the co-founder of First Nations Futures, an initiative focused on redistributing wealth and resources to First Nations communities. Across this work, Rona is driven by a commitment to building platforms that centre First Nations knowledge, creativity and leadership.

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