The further I travel into the Northern Territory, the more often I am hearing passionate, shy, Aboriginal people quietly speaking up for their Country and their beliefs.
If you are receptive and open to listening, they give you a story which has a world of difference to telling you a story.
Their beliefs seem to be a mixture of Christian and their ancient Law and recognize a Supreme Being as well as many lesser spirits.
Country has a different meaning here - the nearest equivalent I can think of is small region.
Marriage partners must come from two Countries away which makes for a mixture of dialects spoken.
Add in English and Kriol which is a mix of all languages spoken.
Listening to, and respecting Country is a real thing.
Fishing mates Nettie and Poppy gave me a quiet caution
“white fella touch and take, black fella look and listen”.
I had asked Poppy about the composition of a fist sized smooth, shiny, soapy surfaced, brilliant yellow and orange rock I had found at the river’s edge.
He held it in his hand and was silent for a time then said:
“best leave rocks- ‘em belong here- could be bad luck, make you sick”
I shamefacedly emptied my pockets of similar ones and gently replaced them.
Listening to, and respecting Country is a tangible thing I realized.
.
Dotted along the outback highways are many monuments to not listening -the termite mounds dressed in old T-shirt’s or blouses and hats.
A harmless joke? No, not to black fella.
Covered mounds confuse and destroy the termites who need to ‘see’ the sun to move around the nest to escape heat or cold.
The clothing also traps the good mound spirit inside so it can’t come and go, turning it into an angry spirit that causes harm.
Poppy told me ‘bad, angry spirit make belly sick, me die”
Up on Diggers Rest WA where he works in the Dry, he had made a proper throwing boomerang for a German tourist.
He could not teach the tourist how to throw it because Diggers Rest was not his Country.
His is down around Katherine where he lives with his second wife during the Wet.
Each time Poppy returns to work in WA, the local fellas invite him into their Country with a smoking ceremony.
This removes any bad spirits that may be with him, introduces him to local spirits to keep him safe, and entitles him to water, food from foraging – plants, small animals-, and passage through that Country.
A boomerang or a spear can kill large animals, so he cannot use them in that Country.
If he does, he will become sick or be subjected to a spearing.
Three local men will spear his best mate in the leg while Poppy watches.
They never miss.
They can spear in the neck, a kangaroo escaping at a speed of 40km per hour.
What an effective deterrent to Law breaking with real consequences for actions!
Time taken to look, listen is time well spent.
I have not met Bruce Shillingsworth, but he is speaking out and Calling for Country and culture in his quest to heal the Darling River.
Respect for his Calling should be given, just as would be a Calling by the Dalai Lama, Pope, or other spiritual leader.
This is his Calling:
Bruce Shillingsworth: "This River's in big trouble. We need your help desperately. We need our rivers to survive, to sustain us and to look after us."
Bruce Shillingsworth is calling all the different nations to come to Brewarrina for a "Corroboree Project" to "get the water back in the river". Yaama Ngunna Barka (Welcome to our River).
Bruce Shillingsworth: "I'm here calling for our people out there, First Nations People, to come together in supporting us here in Brewarrina.
To get the water back in the river, to let our rivers run freely.
We need ceremonies, we need dancers, we need rainmakers to make it rain, we need special lawman, to sing the land, to talk to the spirit.
We need our stories and our knowledge to be given again.
We need to heal our country through the spirit.
Call on Biami our great spirit."
For more information about when and how this is happening please join the group (Water for the Rivers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1037056726490116/
And or follow on twitter: https://twitter.com/BruceShillings2?lang=en