Kintore, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Kintore is a remote settlement in the Northern Territory
of Australia
, located approximately 530 km west of Alice Springs
and close to the border with Western Australia
. At the 2001 census
, Kintore had a population of 691, of which 95% identified themselves as Aboriginal. It was founded in 1981, when many Pintupi
people who resided in the community of Papunya
(about 200 km from Alice Springs) became unhappy with their circumstances in what they saw as foreign country, and decided to move back to their own country, from which they had been forcibly removed decades earlier due to weapons testing
from Woomera in South Australia
.
Kintore is overseen by the Western MacDonnell Shire, which is based in Alice Springs. The community also has a NT Government funded school, and independent store trading as Puli Kutjarra (meaning Two Rocks/mountains in Pintubi language), an airstrip, an independent health clinic called Pintubi Homelands Health Service, a women's centre called Ngintaka Women's Centre, a High School run by Yirarra, and art centre run by Papunya Tula. The town is located in the territory electorate of MacDonnell
and the federal electorate of Lingiari
.
Kintore is a major centre for the Western Desert art movement which began at the community of Papunya. These people traditionally passed on significant Dreamtime
stories by way of art using sand, rock and local plants. Nowadays such paintings are done on canvas and have gained worldwide popularity. A number of members of the famous Aboriginal art company Papunya Tula
reside at Kintore.
In the Pintupi language
the community of Kintore is known as Walungurru (ˈwɐɭʊŋʊɾʊ).
Kintore is mentioned in the Midnight Oil
song "Beds are Burning
" (from the Diesel and Dust
album): Four wheels scare the cockatoos/From Kintore East to Yuendumu.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located approximately 530 km west of Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
and close to the border with Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. At the 2001 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Kintore had a population of 691, of which 95% identified themselves as Aboriginal. It was founded in 1981, when many Pintupi
Pintupi
Pintupi refers to an Australian Aboriginal group who are part of the Western Desert cultural group and whose homeland is in the area west of Lake MacDonald and Lake Mackay in Western Australia. These people moved into the Aboriginal communities of Papunya and Haasts Bluff in the west of the...
people who resided in the community of Papunya
Papunya, Northern Territory
Papunya is a small Indigenous Australian community of about 299 people roughly 240 km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia...
(about 200 km from Alice Springs) became unhappy with their circumstances in what they saw as foreign country, and decided to move back to their own country, from which they had been forcibly removed decades earlier due to weapons testing
Blue Streak missile
The Blue Streak missile was a British medium range ballistic missile . The Operational Requirement for the missile was issued in 1955 and the design was complete by 1957...
from Woomera in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Kintore is overseen by the Western MacDonnell Shire, which is based in Alice Springs. The community also has a NT Government funded school, and independent store trading as Puli Kutjarra (meaning Two Rocks/mountains in Pintubi language), an airstrip, an independent health clinic called Pintubi Homelands Health Service, a women's centre called Ngintaka Women's Centre, a High School run by Yirarra, and art centre run by Papunya Tula. The town is located in the territory electorate of MacDonnell
Electoral division of MacDonnell
MacDonnell is an electoral division of the Legislative Assembly in Australia's Northern Territory. It was first created in 1974, and derives its name from the nearby MacDonnell Ranges. MacDonnell is an almost entirely rural electorate, covering 333398.61 km², and taking in the resort town of...
and the federal electorate of Lingiari
Division of Lingiari
The Division of Lingiari is an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. It was created in 2000, out of the former Division of Northern Territory. It covers almost the entire Territory , an area of , making it the second largest electorate in terms of area in Australia...
.
Kintore is a major centre for the Western Desert art movement which began at the community of Papunya. These people traditionally passed on significant Dreamtime
Dreaming (spirituality)
The Dreaming is a common term within the animist creation narrative of indigenous Australians for a personal, or group, creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative creation and perpetual creating....
stories by way of art using sand, rock and local plants. Nowadays such paintings are done on canvas and have gained worldwide popularity. A number of members of the famous Aboriginal art company Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
reside at Kintore.
In the Pintupi language
Pintupi language
Pintupi is an indigenous Australian language. It is one of the Wati languages of the large Southwest branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. It is one of the varieties of the Western Desert Language ....
the community of Kintore is known as Walungurru (ˈwɐɭʊŋʊɾʊ).
Kintore is mentioned in the Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
song "Beds are Burning
Beds Are Burning
"Beds Are Burning" is a 1987/1988 worldwide hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. This song was the second from the album to be released as a single, and is among the band's best-known songs outside Australia.It reached No. 1 in the New...
" (from the Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust
Diesel and Dust is an album by Midnight Oil that was released in 1987 under the CBS record label.The album is a concept album about the struggles of the Australian Aborigines and environmental causes, issues both near and dear to the band, and drew inspiration from the Black Fella White Fella tour...
album): Four wheels scare the cockatoos/From Kintore East to Yuendumu.