Chutzpah Ngaanyatjarra

Chutzpah Ngaanyatjarra was established in April 2007 to work exclusively with Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjatjara youth on the remote Ngaanyatjarra Lands, to facilitate entrepreneurial skilling and in turn, build their learning and earning capacity. These tribal lands are enormous and extremely isolated, spanning two West Australian desert regions. English is commonly a third language and sometimes not spoken at all.

Chutzpah Ngaanyatjarra was Chutzpah Inc.'s third site, established as a pilot in alliance with the Warburton Shire Council Youth Team. The course was delivered by Laura Egan and Natalie (Desiree) Wells in two communities; Blackstone and Jameson.

Chutzpah Ngaanyatjarra Facilitators

Laura and Natalie were two vibrant young women from the south with immense entrepreneurial flair, energy, passion and an unswerving commitment to empowering young tribal people through enterprise education. Working from their homes, they supported five Ngaanyatjarra kungkas (young women) to establish the Bush-Medicine Soap business Mukurringkun. Mukurringkun means 'to take pleasure in'.

The Chutzpaniks and their Venture

The founders of Mukurringkun were passionate about their country and culture and the potential to showcase it to the world and in doing so, create earning and learning opportunities for themselves and others in their communities. They produced a range of natural soaps for the local and tourist market; soaps that are inspired by the natural environment in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. They made the soaps from natural ingredients unique to the Lands. Each soap tells the story of the land.

• Iyamunka Iyamunka Bush Medicine Soap is made using the traditional healing medicine of the Ngaanyatjarra people.
• Desert Earth Exfoliating Soap is made using the striking red earth of the land, and is scented with Patchouli Oil.
• Wildflower Soap is made from a variety of seasonal wildflowers which colour the land throughout the year, and scented with Jasmine Essential Oil.

Soap samples were marketed to Voyages Resort who stated they would buy if supply was guaranteed. The soaps sold out at the 2007 Alice Springs Beanie Festival in Alice Springs. They are a popular sales item at the Tjulyuru Cultural Centre at the Shire offices in Warburton and have been sold within the community at Blackstone Store. Maraku Arts purchased some and showed interest in becoming a regular buyer and NPY Women's Council expressed interest and support for selling them at their Tjanpi outlet in Alice Springs.

Bush Medicine Soap

Georgina

Disco

Woman with Witchety