Margaret Kemarre Turner, OAM

Margaret Kemarre Turner OAM is a highly respected senior Arrernte Elder, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, author, artist and traditional teacher. She is a great supporter of the HARs, and offers advice to Margaret James while she is developing and writing the new HAR books. In her book Iwenhe Tyerrtye – what it means to be an Aboriginal person – MK Turner explains true understanding of each other’s culture, ‘You’ve gotta talk, and really analyse words… to really get a full meaning of it… You cannot say anything without doing that… And that’s how many, many things we as Aboriginal people have never described. Because it’s really hard to describe to others the picture that we’ve got in our head. If they can’t see that good picture, then there’s no answer. Sometimes non-Aboriginal people go away with no answer then, and we’re left with no answer as well.’