Steve Wanta Jampijinpa Patrick

Wanta Jampijinpa Pawu-kurlpurlurnu (Steven Jampijinpa Patrick) is from the Northern Territory community of Lajamanu. His first language is Warlpiri. He was present in Lajamanu when Tim Newth (Co-Artistic Director) first visited Lajamanu to perform in a play written in Warlpiri. This was the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between Steve, his family, his community and Tracks. Since then Steve has been involved in several major cultural research projects with Tracks, namely Between Foot and Voice, and the Ngapa research trip. This has led to the development of the successful ongoing Milpirri Festival of which Steve is the Creative Director, alongside the Tracks creative team.

His passion is the reinvigoration of Warlpiri culture by finding traditional principles that are relevant to today’s community life. He has held an Australia Research Council Discovery Indigenous Award with the School of Music, Australian National University, given keynote lectures at numerous National and International Conferences and written solo and coauthored papers on Warlpiri culture and heritage. He is a bilingual/bicultural translator. He has held an Australia Research Council Discovery Indigenous Award with the School of Music, Australian National University, given keynote lectures at numerous National and International Conferences and written solo and coauthored papers on Warlpiri culture and heritage. He is a member of the Steering Committee for the National Recording Project for Indigenous Performance in Australia, and Senior Cultural Advisor (Lajamanu) for Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation.

He holds long-term research collaborations with colleagues at the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music and Faculty of Science, as well as with academics at other universities around the world.

His passion is the reinvigoration of Warlpiri culture by finding traditional principles that are relevant to today’s community life. He has worked as a Community Liaison Officer and 2 Teachers Assistant at the Lajamanu Community Education Centre and in 2007, was awarded the 'National Curriculum Award' for his work at Lajamanu.

"Everyone has to have this knowledge of living together. It's towards being Australian, what it really means to be Australian. Both Kardiya [non-Warlpiri] and yapa [Warlpiri] way"

Tracks works Wanta has been involved in:

1996 The Opportunity of Distance - Melbourne, Wangaratta tour
1996 Ngapa - Two Cultures One Country - research trip and performance
2001 Between Foot and Voice - research
2005 Milpirri (Jardiwanpa)
2007 Milpirri (Kurdiji)
2009 Milpirri (Jurntu)
2011 Milpirri Showing (Yinapaka)
2012 Milpirri (Pulyaranyi)
2014 Milpirri (Jardiwanpa)
2016 Milpirri (Kurdiji)
2018 Milpirri (Jurntu)
2020 Milpirri (Yinapaka Development)
2021 Milpirri (Yinapaka)
2022 Milpirri (Yinapaka 2)

Ongoing - Warlpiri Cultural Adviser to Tracks Inc

Publications and Papers:
1996 Ngapa Two Cultures One Country - Tim Newth, David McMicken and Steve Jampijinpa Patrick
2008 Ngurra-kurlu a way of working with Warlpiri people - Steve Jampijinpa Patrick, Miles Holmes and (Lance) Alan Box
2008 Performance as a Bridge that Joins the Ancient with the Modern - Steve Jampijinpa Patrick