Alvira Bird Mpetyane
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Artist Profile · Northern Territory
Alvira Bird Mpetyane
Painting Awelye (women’s ceremony) for Bush Plum, Rat-tail Plant and Mulga Seed.
Born
1978
Language group
Anmatyerre / Eastern Arrernte
Country
Ilkawerne, about 200 km north of Alice Springs, NT
Community
Engawala
Family and Country
Alvira Bird Mpetyane was born in 1978 and is an Anmatyerre / Eastern Arrernte woman. Her traditional Country is Ilkawerne, around 200 km north of Alice Springs in Central Australia.
She is the fifth of eleven children of Paddy Bird and the artist Eileen Bird Nungarai, and grew up within her strong, close family on Mulga Bore outstation. Her sister Rosemary is married to the artist Clifford Tilmouth Pengarte.
Alvira is married with two children, and the family lives at Engawala, a small community on Ilkawerne Country about 40 km from Mulga Bore.
Her work
Alvira paints Awelye, women’s ceremony, for the plants of her Country: Ahakeye (bush plum), Alpar (rat-tail plant) and Ntang Artety (mulga seed). These ceremonies show respect for Country and its plants, which are an important source of food for her people.
Ahakeye (Bush Plum)
Alpar (Rat-tail Plant)
Ntang Artety (Mulga Seed)
Related artists
Alvira’s mother Eileen Bird Nungarai and grandmother Ada Bird Petyarre are artists, as is her brother-in-law Clifford Tilmouth Pengarte. Amy Dixon Kemarre, also from Ilkawerne, paints the Alpar story too.
Buying Alvira’s work
For authenticated paintings, buy through a recognised gallery such as Mbantua Gallery, and always ask for a certificate of authenticity.
Paintings by Alvira Bird Mpetyane on eBay
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