Indigemoji mpwaretyeke kwenhe anyente irrereke intelhilenhilenhe areye, angkentyenge urrkapenhe areye, creative technology warrkenhe areye arlke.
2018-nge kwenhe nhenhe renhe mpwareke nhenge Arrernte angkentye imernetyenhenge. Akngerrepate areyarle itirrepirremenge nhenge angkentye nhenhe arenye areyarle uyerlpuyirremenge, arne urrpetye ware kwenhe aneme nhenge angkentye anwernekenhele akaltyele anthetyeke.
Joel Liddle-larle tweet anyente mpwareke iperre anteme, re Caddie Brain-nge anyenteke irreke tyerrtye urrperlekenhe emoji anteme mpwaretyeke
Joel re anteme ikwere artweye atherrenhe ikngweke, Kwementyaye/Dr Wallace Kemarre uthene Veronica (Perrurle) Dobson uthene, emoji urrpetye urrke ware itne mpwareke. Itne ahentye aneke arne areye mpwaretyeke, atnunthe, awelhentye akerte, arne arrpenhemarlke nhenge Arrernte areye kenhe
Itne anteme ahentye aneke awenkarlke apmerrke areyarlke ikngwetyeke. 2018 holiday-ngewatye anteme itne workshops atnyenewarreke 7 weeks-ke library-nge emoji itnenhe intelhiletyeke. Arrerntele arritnye itnekenhekarlke akaltyirretyeke
Indigemoji nhenhe akwenhe mpwareke tyerrtye urrperle nhenhe arenye areyenge. Anwerne ahentyaneme resources-arlke awethe mpwaretyeke nhenge angkentyeke akaltye irretyeke akwete uternemele, arne arrpenheme anwernekenhekarlke
anwerneke akerte // team
bosses
Dr Joel Liddle Perrurle is an Arrernte man from apmere Ureperrke in Central Australia. Joel recently completed his PhD through the University of Melbourne titled “Ayeye apmerrke areye akerte – A story about Young Aboriginal Men from Central Australia”. His research focused on investigating high rates of poor mental health among young Aboriginal men in Central Australia (aged 16-40) and found that fracturing of Indigenous knowledges is a major causal factor. He has authored and co-authored several academic publications, including the first published in an Australian Indigenous language titled ‘Apmerrke areye-kenhe utnenge rlterrke-irrirtnetyenhenge' (Improving the mental health of young Aboriginal men from Central Australia). Alongside his work with Indigemoji, he works with several ethnographic and linguistic archival collections and is currently a consultant researcher with the Strehlow Research Centre, artwe kenhe (men’s only) collection.
Jessie Bartlett Nungarrayi is a Pintupi/Warlpiri woman from Kiwirrkurra and Lake Mackay (Wilkinkarra) in Western Australia. She was raised at Walungurru (Kintore) community and surrounding outstations speaking Pintupi and Warlpiri with her family, many of whom were influential western desert artists. Her work experience includes Warlpiri language and translation roles, natural resource management, conservation and film.
🙃 producer
Caddie Brain is a curator, creative producer and audio maker who has spent the last decade living and working in the Northern Territory. She’s managed / curated exhibitions and public programs at the Northern Territory Library and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory after many years with ABC Radio and has a Master in Applied Cybernetics. She’s produced exhibitions, twitter bots, augmented reality audio tours, bilingual audio works.
💻 developer
Matthew Heffernan is Luritja technologist from central Australia who has worked in various sectors from government, not for profits and private industry. He is an alumni of the School of Cybernetics at ANU, and Information Technology at CDU and is committed to ensuring that Indigenous people are up-skilled in, and don’t miss out on technological advancements, and economic development. He is passionate about exploring the ways in which new technologies intersect with Indigenous culture and knowledge. As well as examining the ways in which culture can be expressed via emerging mediums. He also sometimes just love coding.
awaye // listen
The Indigemoji team is a collaboration of Aboriginal people from Central Australia including artists, linguists and creative technologists.
First established in 2018, Indigemoji was created to provide a presence for the eastern/central Arrernte language on digital platforms. It came after years of concern from elders and language speakers that languages in the region were under threat, and there were limited resources online in Central Australian languages.
Following a viral tweet from Joel Liddle in 2018, Caddie Brain and Joel connected to discuss creating a set of Indigenous emojis and building a team to help.
Joel invited two of his relatives, Kwementyaye/Dr Wallace Kemarre, and Veronica Perrurle Dobson, to join Caddie and Joel in drafting up a list of emoji symbols for the project. The team wanted to incorporate culturally relevant plants, animals, emotions and symbols that illustrated unique aspects of Arrernte culture.
The team wanted to get young people involved too, so during the summer holidays of 2018 we held seven weeks of workshops at the Alice Springs library to help draw and design the emoji’s on ipads, whilst learning the Arrernte names for each.
The Indigemoji project has collaborated with Indigenous people and languages throughout the region. We aim to build resources and technologies to encourage the learning, maintenence and transmission of important Indigenous cultural knowledges throughout the region.
🗣️ linguists and translation
Veronica Perrurle Dobson is a senior Arrernte leader, educator, author, linguist and ecologist born at Arltunga, north-east of Mparntwe. Instrumental in establishing Eastern Arrernte as a written language, she co-authored the Eastern Arrernte Dictionary as well as books on botany, kin and skin. She develops curriculum resources to teach Aboriginal languages in schools and works in environmental management.
Kwementyaye/Dr Wallace Kemarre was a senior Eastern Arrernte woman, storyteller and painter apmereke- artweye (owner) for Perrurle/Kemarre country to the east of Mparntwe, including apmere Werrirte, and kwertengwerle (caretaker) for apmere Therirrerte. Mrs Wallace was a teacher at Ltyentye Apurte school, a founding member of the Keringke Art Centre and lead figure in the Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) art movement and Eastern Arrernte art style, as a senior Arrernte language consultant on the award-winning Indigemoji project, designing the ‘Urtakwerte Atywerrenge Anthurre’ (very sacred heart) stained-glass mural at the Alice Springs Catholic Church, and co-publishing Plants of the Santa Teresa Region of Central Australia with Jane Davis in 1986 and Listen Deeply – Let These Stories In with Dr Judy Lovell in 2009
Franky Gorey Kngwarraye is an Arrernte man and apmereke artweye for apmere Irrpmangkere (Running Waters), and has family ties to apmere Irlpme and apmere Irlpalentye. He is the senior researcher of the artwe kenhe (men’s only) at the Strehlow Research Centre in Alice Springs. He is a skilled Arrernte linguist, translator and researcher, literate in various Arandic language dialects (Pertame, Western Arrarnta, Eastern/Central Arrernte and Anmatyerr) and forms of linguistic script known as diacritics. He has previously completed work on ‘Angkentye Mwerre’ (the good word – the Arrernte bible), co-authored the first academic publication in an Australian Indigenous language titled ‘Apmerrke areye-kenhe utnenge rlterrke-irrirtnetyenhenge' (Improving the mental health of young Aboriginal men from Central Australia) alongside Joel Liddle and Veronica Perrurle Dobson, and contributed to the Anmatyerr Shields, Songs and Ceremonies project with Dr. Jason Gibson.
arrerntemoji - anwerneke akerte // team
🗣️ linguists and translation
Dr Joel Liddle Perrurle, Veronica Perrurle Dobson and Kwementyaye/Dr Wallace Kemarre (see above)
With Amelia Turner, Shirley Turner, Stephen Kernan and Shanta Turner.
🙃 producer
✍🏾 artists
Graham Wilfred Jnr is an artist, designer and musician born in Katherine. He was raised in foster care in Darwin before moving to Alice Springs. Since then he has studied visual arts at Batchelor Institute and exhibited at Parrtjima Festival. Through his work with Indigemoji, he worked at inDigiMOB as a Digital Mentor at Alice Springs Public Library before beginning new study in streaming media.
Emma Stubbs is a Yankunytjatjara artist and designer from Amata on the APY Lands of South Australia, now living in Alice Springs. When she's not pursuing her creative practice, she works with young families and does everything she can to guide her beloved South Alice Springs Football club to victory.
Phillip McCorrmack is an Arrernte/Pintupi artist based in Alice Springs. He studied visual art at Batchelor College, has exhibited at Parrtjima Festival and has developed large-scale murals around Mparntwe.
Dave Wells is the Creative Director at Ramen, a full service agency from Sydney. When Dave wandered into the Alice Springs Public Library and started working with our artists we couldn't believe our luck. With a background dealing in all things creative, Dave is proud to be able to use his skills in Illustration to assist the Indigemoji project coming to life, and learn more about Central Australia and its culture.
With Colleen Powell, Wyona Palmer, Dion Beasley, Benita Clements, Ricky Connick Jakamara, Lindsey Matthews and Elliat Rich.
📲 app / developers
Leigh Harris is a Cairns-based Aboriginal business owner and serial entrepreneur with traditional connections to the Kanolu people of Central Queensland and Gungarri people of South East Queensland who is also proud of his Italian and Welsh heritage. Leigh has been active in the design and digital creative space for over 20 years and runs Ingeous Studios, a multidisciplinary design studio.
With Sam Lavigne, Mod and Sol1.
Updates and maintenance Matthew Heffernan
🤓 geek in residence
The emoji workshops were run in partnership with the Geek in Residence program that began in 2017 in response to the increasing numbers of young people spending time at the Alice Springs Public Library providing exploratory access to technology and design, music, video, social media and photo apps. Established by the Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service with Matt D’Penguin, the geek team grew to include youth workers, illustrators and artists, including Else Kennedy, Lindsey Matthews and Pathi Raj, and managed by Alice Goddard. The program ended in 2020.
🎧 audio
Joel Liddle Perrurle, Veronica Dobson Perrurle, Kathleen Wallace Kemarre and the Year 9 students at the Alice Springs Language Centre/Centralian Middle School: Ada Watson, Johnien Furber, Tyrell Martin, Shakira Richards, Lawrence Squires, Shalaylee Coombes, Shonneille Craig, Jenaya Newchurch, Wendelle Miller Kruger with thanks to David Moore and Jannette McCormack.
🙏 with thanks
Northern Territory Government, Johnston Foundation, inDigiMOB, Alice Springs Public Library, Clare Fisher, Jessie Bartlett, Ben Smede, Sonja Peter, Harold Thomas, Beth Sometimes, Tega Brain, Libby Leahy, Brendan Phelan, Blair McFarland, Thea McDiarmid, Elliat Rich and James Young at Elbow Workshop, Sarah Brown, Elizabeth Oolodoodi and Purple House, Suzie Warrick, Fiona Walsh, Ruth McMillan, Tangentyere Artists, Emma Murray, Tamalyn Hanson, Red Centre Technology, David Moore, Cy Starkman, Andrew Lau, Robele Yishake and Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre.
This project was made on Arrernte Country in Mparntwe and Gimuy-walubarra yidi Country. It was made possible by funding and support from the Northern Territory Government, Indigimob, a partnership between First Nations Media Australia and Telstra, the Alice Springs Public Library and the Johnston Foundation.
akaltyele anthetyeke awetyeke - anwerneke akerte // team
🕹 game co-designers
The Year 10 Arrernte class at Centralian Senior College - Delisha Malthouse, Megan Baliva, Agnes Saunders, Tanisha Davis, Alana Abbott, Amarlie Briscoe, Siobhan Breaden, Jeremiah Daniels-Pepperill, Tracyn Forrester, Kyle Maidment, Thomas Tambling, Bricarny Forrester, Miru Forrester, Emmanisha Nelson, Ella Fitz, Kaleel Ross, Lilly Mentha with David Moore and Jannette McCormack.
🗣 emoji bosses, linguists and translation
Veronica Perrule Dobson, Kathleen Kemarre Wallace, Joel Perrule Liddle
🎙 sound
Warren H Williams at Left Of Elephant Sound
✍🏿 design, illustrations and media production
🙃 production and creative technologist
Caddie Brain (see above)
👩🏻💻 programming and mentoring
Yining Shi
🙏 with thanks
David Moore, Jannette McCormack, Susan Moore & staff of the Alice Springs Language Centre, Daniel Shiftman, Tega Brain, Sam Lavigne, Timothy Chatwin, Kyran Smith, Kate Csillag, Brendan Phelan and the Johnston Foundation
This project was made on Arrernte Country in Mparntwe and the Lenape homelands of New York. It was supported by the Processing Foundation Fellowship 2021. 100% of stipend funds went to First Nations practitioners.
kaytetyemoji - aynanthe // team
🗣 emoji bosses
Tommy Jangala “Walkabout” is a senior Kaytetye man. Born at Hatches Creek, his father’s country is Akalperre and his mother’s country is Kwerrkepentye. He was raised traditionally in the bush and worked as a stockman throughout much of his life. He has been involved in Kaytetye language work for many years and features on the audio of the Kaytetye Learner’s Guide. Tommy lives at Ankweleyelengkwe Outstation on his traditional lands.
Phillip Janima’s father’s country is Akalperre (he is Tommy’s son) and his mother’s country is Arnerre, a Kaytetye country north-west of Barrow Creek. He was involved in the Arrkantele TV series, a children’s language learning show. Philip provided the audio for the emoji app and translated Tommy’s Kaytetye. Philip spends his time in both Alice Springs and Ankweleyelengkwe Outstation.
Valentine Shaw’s father’s country is Akalperre and on her mother’s side she is Anmatyerr from Arrwek. Valentine lives in Alice Springs. She is an experienced teacher, and currently works as a history teacher at St Philip’s College. She has a Bachelor of Education. Valentine is passionate about Aboriginal languages and keeping Kaytetye alive. She spends time on country learning from her grandfather. She contributed artwork for the emojis and provided audio for the app.
Glorianna Moketarinja is a Western Arrernte woman from Ntharia. She is of Pwerle skin group. She is married to Philip Janima. Glorianna contributed to the translation of the Arrernte emojis from the indigemoji app. She spends her time in both Alice Springs and Ankweleyelengkwe Outstation.
✍🏾 artists
Kathleen Rambler’s father’s country is Akalperre (she is Tommy’s daughter) and her mother’s country is Arnerre. Kathleen spent her childhood in the Barrow Creek and Utopia regions. She is a well-known artist and contributed artwork for the emojis and the Kaytetye website. Kathleen now lives at Ampilatwatja, her husband’s country, and her art can be purchased from Artists of Ampilatwatja.
April Phillips is a Wiradjuri-Scottish woman of the Galari peoples of NSW. A digital artist and youth mentor April is passionate about computer art for a new world.
With Rebecca Harnish, Dave Wells, Valentine Shaw and emojis developed by the Arrerntemoji art team: Graham Wilfred Jnr, Emma Stubbs, Dion Beasley, Phillip McCormack, Benita Clements, Colleen Powell, Lindsey Matthews, Agnes Saunders, Jessie Bethune, Dustin, Lucas Jones, Lilah Shee, Ellis, Ernestine Mulkatana, Mishka Kiessling, Tarynt Stubbs, Sebastian, Shinarah Woods, Aarha, Chris Jones, Kelvin Campbell, Kaylene Nelson, Ashley Marshall, Grace Voller, Oliver Jones, Kyiesha Charles, Cherina, Vicprsha Scovie, Astrid Keaney, Abraham Lennie, Denzel Steel, Felicity Malbunka, Broadie Orr, Shakira Ken, Natasha Angus, Elizabeth Coulthard, Reshanna, Tjikiti Liddle, Harold Thomas with and Elliat Rich.
📲 app / developers
Matthew Heffernan is Luritja technologist from central Australia who has worked in various sectors from government, not for profits and private industry. He is an alumni of the School of Cybernetics at ANU, and Information Technology at CDU and is committed to ensuring that Indigenous people are up-skilled in, and don’t miss out on technological advancements, and economic development.
He is passionate about exploring the ways in which new technologies intersect with Indigenous culture and knowledge. As well as examining the ways in which culture can be expressed via emerging mediums. He also sometimes just love coding.
With Sam Lavigne, Leigh Harris, Mod and Sol1
🎧 audio
Philip Janima and Valentine Shaw provided audio for the Kaytetye words that reflect the emojis. Tommy Jangala provided example phrases. Phillip Janima, Kathleen Rambler and Myfany Turpin transcribed and translated the audio with editing from Caddie Brain.
⌨️ transcription and editing
Myfany Turpin and Bridey Lea
🙃 producers
Caddie Brain, Myfany Turpin, Bridey Lea and Joel Perrurle Liddle
🙏 with thanks
Regional Arts Australia, Arts NT, The Northern Territory Government, The University of Sydney, Australian National University, Rachel Perkins, Timothy Chatwin, Jennifer Pysden, Bao Stone catering, Red Hot Arts Central Australia and Watch This Space.
This project was made on Arrernte Country in Mparntwe. It was made possible by the Australian Government's Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia, The University of Sydney and was also supported by the Johnston Foundation.
Thank you for saving Indigemoji!
In 2024, we ran a campaign to save Indigemoji. After five years, our much-loved app stopped working on lots of phones. We've fixed it up so we can keep sharing language together, thanks to you!
With particular thanks to Radical Systems!
Kwele mwerre Roshelle, Stephen, Tega, Brendan, Laura, Royce, Stacey, Kristie, Ben, Chris, Fiona, Bridey, Myf, Laura, Lizbeth, Celeste, Tammy, Deborah, Jared, Claire, Alison, Nerida, Kristie, David, Zoya, April, The Creative Fund, Chris, Kathy, Linda, Cal, Bron, Meagan, Helen, Laura, Gnaneeka, Lorenn, Kirsty, Andrew, Erica, Emily, Anouska, Benjamin, Pia, Vito, Caitlin, Voltagex, Donna, M, Acacia, Miyuki, Kiri, Brianna, Sally, Mel, Brigid, Justine, Lucy, Alice, Sally, Ronnie, Georgie, Fiona, Katie, Jeff, Susan, Lesley, Susan, Bhranti, Caroline, Themeda, Rene, Kat, Kirsten, Leon, Heidi, Imogen, Daniel, Anna, Chris, Hilary, Leonardo, Antony, Taniele, Nat, Sarah, Chris, Swee, Eliza, Jimmy, Rosie, Daryl, Ali, Justin, Ella, Ned, Sally, Melanie, Julie, Sharon, Libby, Jason, Christine, Rachel, Elliat, Don, Elspeth, Linda, Jessica, Clara, Johanna, Isabel, Sae, Cheyenne, Peter, Paul, Yan, John, Jason and Denise!
With support from Creative Australia thanks to MATCH Lab
