"The presence of ankerr (emus) is overtly apparent in the first few years of Kngwarray's painting works. In Anmatyerr culture the respect accorded to emus is reflected in the rich and extensive lexicon of terms that are exclusively applied to them. The performance of the ankerr awely held at the women's camp evidenced the familiarity of the performers with the birds and their behaviour, as they expertly captured the emu's idiosyncratic movements. Singers for the awely obviously enjoyed encouraging the dancers to be more animated in mimicking the emu gestures of feeding and pausing to listen for danger."
— Kelli Cole and Hetti Perkins, Emily Kam Kngwarray, National Gallery of Australia, 2023, p. 184