Kanyini is a word in the
Pitjantjatjara dialect spoken by
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
.
It is the principle of
connectedness through caring and responsibility that underpins Aboriginal life. Kanyini is a connectedness to ''tjukurrpa'' (knowledge of creation or
Dreaming), ''ngura'' (place, land), ''walytja'' (
kinship
In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
), and ''kurunpa'' (spirit or
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
). Kanyini is nurtured through caring and practicing responsibility for all things. The concept of Kanyini is associated with the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and the
Yankunytjatjara people, one of the traditional land owner groups of
Uluru
Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially Gazette#Gazette as a verb, gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone geological formation, formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the ...
.
See also
*
Bob Randall (Aboriginal Australian elder)
Robert James "Bob" Randall (1934 – 12 May 2015), also known as Uncle Bob, was an Aboriginal Australian elder, singer and community leader. He was a member of the Stolen Generations and became an elder of the Yankunytjatjara people from Centr ...
*
Kanyini (film)
''Kanyini'' is a 2006 Australian documentary film, created by Uncle Bob Randall. His dream was to create a film that supported his Kanyini teachings. He approached Melanie Hogan to produce it with him. She directed, filmed and edited the film wi ...
*
Nurture kinship
References
Australian Aboriginal culture
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