03 September 2025
A Goldfields teacher, who has been sharing First Nations language and stories with students on Country, has now written a book and also been involved with a short film.
Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward is a Ngaanyatjarra Elder at Ngaanyatjarra Lands School - Warakurna Campus and has written the book ‘Walking Through the Seasons’. The young people she teaches helped with illustrations.
Artwork for the new book.
It shares a bit of her life story and the different things she did with her family. It also explains the changes on Country during the changing of the seasons.
Ms Ward said she wanted to write the story because seasons are so important to Yarnangu people and explain what is happening with the plants, animals and Country.
“We know when the reptiles are hibernating and when they will come out and there will be good hunting,” Ms Ward said.
“We know wherever the Seven Sisters (Pleaides constellation) are in the sky will tell us when the season is changing and it will start to get warmer.
“I wanted the book to be about the seasons to teach the tjtitji (children) how to look at Country and be ninti (smart).”
Students working with Ms Ward on the book artwork.
Students at the Warakurna Campus were involved with the creation of the book, getting to draw and paint some of the illustrations.
They made paintings of the changes in weather and seasons and included animals that they knew.
Ms Ward said it’s so important for students and young children to read and know about First Nations stories and Tjukurrpa.
“I told Tjukurrpa (stories) from when I was little, as well as the real Tjukurrpa (creation/lore) about the seasons and what happens," she said.
“They should see books and stories from Yarnangu and feel proud and learn from them too.
“Yarnangu are good story tellers and it's how we learn. [Kids] need to see that Yarnangu can make good books and share their stories in a different way, as well as doing painting and drawing to tell the story.”
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation came to Warakurna to film Ms Ward and the students for Indigenous Literacy Day.
To celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) worked with Ms Ward on her book and travelled to the campus to capture footage for a short film about the Warakurna Community and two other remote communities.
“We went near to Yurliya (a part of the Rawlinson Ranges near the community) and filmed me telling the tjitji stories from the painting my sister Lizzie and I did,” she said.
“[The film] shows all the rock holes and places these kids need to learn about, I told them the stories and showed them on the map (the painting).”
She also shared songs, food and stories from the community and the students learnt how to share stories with people from outside the community.
Ms Ward said she feels so proud of what they have done with the book and filming.
“I'm so pulkulpa (happy) that the community will see their kids on the film and the work they did for the book.”
“I love our kids and I love being an educator. I want the film and the book to teach people about how important it is to tell stories and to listen to them.”
Learn more about Indigenous Literacy Day here.
Register for the free film livestream here.