Dreaming

It’s now less than three weeks till I leave and I am surrounded by a chaos of clutter which is all the bits I have accumulated here …sorting through it all. Lots of fun! But maybe not as much as having as little as these old folk do - this tree holds the belongings of three people.

I have had an exhausting but rewarding week. I took the ulkuman (old ladies) camping (intarrki) for four days and nights. The first few we spent at Town Bore outstation, where Ada wants to set up a women’s area – the Town Bore girls and some young girls from Papunya came along for an afternoon to learn the dances which are their heritage. It was a reluctant start for all of them but when they got into it, they really got into it and it was heartening for all of us. Later we recorded some of the songs as we sat by the fire in the creekbed which was our bed too. Magic under a waxing moon. Then we set off for Karrinyarra, another outstation about 65 k north on a road that traverses endless small sandhills (takes a long time to get there!). Karrinyarra people were really friendly and generous, unusual out here – but they are well-situated, with plenty of un-buffel-grassed land around and almost no feral animals. They had beautiful healthy fruit trees growing (I ate some mulberries – heaven!) and didn’t even need to fence them. Even the dogs were healthy and well-behaved and didn’t eat the pet baby kangaroo. The outstation is powered by an impressive array of solar panels set up by Bushlight, where Steve works. They have won awards for their user-friendly and practical systems for remote communities.

Karrinyarra is Bush Onion Dreaming and Emily Napaltjarri there painted and gave me a big picture which I will bring back to hang in Tuntable Hall. At night they sang the songs for that yalka (bush onion) and while the wind stuffed up the recording it was more magic and when I closed my eyes I could hear the pattern of the dreaming painting. I am making CD’s so the young girls can practise the dancing even when the old ladies are not present. We went hunting for the branches to make clapsticks (turrurru)...

Have just returned from a yininti bean hunt and picnic (wilinyi) under the rising full moon – we are making the most of the troopy before I have to take it back on Friday. Lots of kangaroo tails get eaten at these picnics, they are a popular item. It’s been blowing a gale here yesterday, several times my house has been in the path of a willy-willy, or kupi-kupi and I’ve wondered how Dorothy felt …but besser blocks stand firm. These winds could easily blow a tin humpy to the land of Oz. But tonight there is blessed stillness and coolness.