Awelye Akwelye: Kaytetye women s traditional songs from Arnerre, Central Australia

These recordings contain vocal performances by women of the Kaytetye language group, led by Daisy Kemarre, who sing 48 songs from the landholding estate or Country of Arnerre which encircles the Crawford Ranges just north of Barrow Creek. Spencer and Gillen (1904:409) described the estate as the great centre of the Rain country . Indeed, the very name of the country, Arnerre (the Kaytetye word for rockhole ), is most apt because the estate contains many sources of water. Many of the singers are traditional owners of Arnerre country, tracing their rights through both parents. Several of these songs are associated with specific sites on Arnerre and all portray events occurring within the estate.