Anawari Mitchell

Anawari grew up at the Warburton Mission to attend school like many other kids from across the Ngaanyatjarra Lands at the time.

Anawari was an advocate for the Blackstone Women’s Centre when it first opened and became the manager. The women enjoyed learning craft techniques in making tie-dyed shirts, batik, lino and silk-screen printing, making spinifex paper and jewellery using nuts from the local flora. 

Anawari participated in the first tjanpi (grass) weaving workshop at Papulankutja (Blackstone) in 1995.

Anawari is an important spokesperson for her community and is on the Papulankutja Artists board as well as working closely with the NPY women’s council and Ngaanyatjarra Land and Culture at Papulankutja. Her grandmothers country is Kuru Ala, a very important site for the Kungkarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters) Tjukurrpa (dreaming story). Anawari paints stories of when the sisters travelled and camped at Kulyuru east of Blackstone and Kuru Ala which is a sacred women’s’ ceremonial site where young girls are initiated and taught about womanhood.