Kanpi

Day Care | Sports | Store

Kanpi is located in South Australia about 20 km south of the Northern Territory border. It lies approximately 460 km south west of Alice Springs as the crow flies. It is located 15 kms away from Nyapari community and 100 kms from the nearest larger community of Amata. The Mann Ranges come down close to the Community giving it a beautifull back drop. The are many excellent facilities which include; very large work shop, football oval, day care centre, store, art and crafts and many houses with mature shade trees close by. Kanpi is serviced by Nganampa health who currently have a health worker based at Nyapari.

Kanpi is part of the Murputja homelands group which includes Kanpi, Angatja and Umpukulu.The people living here are all Pitjantjatjara people with close connections to country to the west. Everybody here is family. As the community is small it only has a few services; a small store with a petrol pump, a garage and a craftroom. Kanpi shares its' services with Nyapari, which has a clinic and a church. Nyapari people come over to Kanpi to use the store.

The Kanpi Community Store was built in 1996 and services the people from Kanpi and Nyapari Community as well as the Murputja Education Centre. There is a large selection of goods available including; fruit and vegetables, dairy and grocery all of which is delivered fresh every second Wednesday. Clothing items are there as well, as electrical and Auto-motive spares. The "Mai Wiru" Policy will greatly assist in a healthier store policy, we always have fresh fruit near the cash register. The Kanpi Community Store is open Monday to Friday: 9am – 12pm. 2pm – 5pm Saturday: 9am – 12pm.

Although they are close together, Kanpi and Nyapari are still separate places with their own community councils and associations with different tjukurrpa (dreaming stories) and country. Both places share the school- Murputja Education Centre. Murputja is a further 400kms into the Lands by road via Indulkana, Mimili, Fregon and Amata.

Brief History

Kanpi community was started by Jimmy Baker and his two cousins Ivan and Douglas Baker. The three men started the new homeland because they wanted to sit down on their own country and they wanted to bring their families together. Ivan used to live in in Kalka, Jimmy in Fregon and Douglas in Wingellina. They all moved here to the place where their old people used to live. Jimmy's father used to camp here and the old people used to have a big garden.