Unlimited Futures by Ellen van Neerven

Author:Ellen van Neerven
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Song of the Nawardina

MAREE McCARTHY YOELU

Long ago

adv. wulabut-wulabut

Wulabut-wulabut, our special stories and songs, were sung with towering strength; echoing across the lands and seas, transported by the animals, the wind and the nawardina.

No matter if you were on Wadjigany country or on foreign lands, you could hear the song of your people.

In 2020, much has changed — the lands have been slowly divided, taken for cattle stations and holiday homes. We now even have other occupants making their home on our Wadjigany country, professing their traditional ownership — but my elders only know them as foreigners. The destruction and tyranny has squashed the songs, the stories and pride of what was once a powerful and happy tribe.

This year, we have also seen bushfires and COVID-19; my people fighting yet another foreign invader.

It is time to get back to country.

At kulgamorra, sunset, a fluorescent orangey-red hue danced on the horizon. I sat with my Bapa, on my first night back on country. How good it felt to be home.

‘Bapa, what if there was a way we could go back in time and visit our ancestors?’ I asked.

The fire crackled in silence, while I waited for him to respond.

The fire was mesmerising, even at dusk, though the night was clearly arriving; it was almost like it was calling me in; welcoming me to dive between the embers’ glow and the sparks flickering into the air.

It was almost like it was happy to see me.

What would I find between the flickers? If I dived in, would I find my answer?

Bapa often took a long time to respond. A long pause, a long sip of his cuppa tea.

He believed you would always find the answers in the silence, when you give your spirit a while to mati nya-mu, to sit still.

Bapa used to always tell me, ‘you don’t know how to sit still, you’re always hurrying,’ so this felt like a challenge to me. The truth is, he was right. I didn’t know how to mati nya-mu.

‘You can’t find anything with a busy spirit, a busy mind, son.

‘You can learn a lot from being still and listening to your country. He is teaching every day, you just got to be willing to listen. But I often imagine visiting our ancestors too, son. One day, I will, but not yet.’

I could hear the sparks louder now. Like they were dancing in support of my Bapa’s words, fuelling their glow in the night.

I wonder if our ancestors ever wondered what the future would hold for them? Did they know their people would struggle with loss of language, stories and songs? Did they ever cry for the future?

Out of the silence, Bapa says, ‘Nawardina.’

Nawardina is a kapok mangrove plant. It is used for many different things, but the wood burns well. The dry branches can also be used to carry fire, as they smoulder slowly, allowing fire to be carried to a new campsite.

Our ancestors would use nawardina often. It is a special tree; and it also has its own song.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.