I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Wiradjuri people. This column is dedicated to those who have gone before us, to those present and to those who will follow us.
THIS week I want to have a yarn about saving what culture we have still remaining in our Ngurambang (country).
I have realised over some time that just Aboriginal mayiny (people) cannot save what cultural items we have remaining.
We need everybody to come together to save what must be saved, and protect what needs protecting. Every scar tree that is cleared, cultural site that is flattened and every bila (river) that is polluted puts us that much closer to losing what is the oldest surviving culture in the universe, Aboriginal culture.
I yarn to many different people about our garray (land) groups like, Land Care, councils, Local Land Services, Aboriginal Land Councils, land holders and community mobs. Each group have their own agenda, their own way of going about business, their own way of connecting.
But what binds us all together is the marrumbang (love) of ngaligin-gu ngurambang (our country).
When I murru (journey) through ngadhi ngurambang (my country) I record madhu madhan (many trees) in our area that are special scar, ring or marker trees. I record madhu (many) artefacts and bush tucker plants and trees that mark out our song lines and dreamtime areas. I see madhu budyaan (many bird) and balugan (animals) that have followed our trails with our mayiny (people) over a long time.
I feel the ngurambang yarra (country talk) to me. I smell the fresh wet gum leaves after a storm.
I feel the warm rays of the yiray (sun) softly touch my ngulung (face) as I watch another amazing yiramiilan (sunrise) over an ancient land.
I sit at Mulaa (night) and gaze at a wir (sky) that has told us a thousand stories and a giwang (moon) that has guided many a lost mob gunyah (home).
Are we any different, do you smell, see, touch and marrumbang (love) as I do? As balugan (animal) species called humans, do we not all bleed, love and die? Ngawa (yes) we do!
We come into this amazing world alone and we all leave the same way. Madhu mayiny (many people) we have lost from all walks of life, much culture has been destroyed, many are hurt and some are healed. Some help and some hinder. Some straddle the fence and some stand on either side.
At the end of the yiradhu (day) we are all family, searching for the truth, searching for marrumbang (love) searching for dabaa malang (mob) and searching for gunyah (home). If one person reads this story and can find home, love or family then my yiradhu (day) has been a good one. If one person can help another one to stand up, if one person can save something that may not belong to them but that may help another to find their murru gunyah (journey home) isn’t that worth talking about and sharing?
I’m not an expert on anything, but I do know that if I can still smell that sweet wet gum leaf after a storm, if I can still drink water from a bila (river) and not a bottle, If I can stand on a hill and watch a yiramiilan (sunrise) or a yirawulin (sunset) and share that experience with a stranger, then I believe that person will no longer be a stranger but will be ngadhi mudyi (my friend).
For more sharing go to my community Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WiradjuriMob/
