In Trouble

Keep forgetting it loads pictures backwards. These are the lanterns we are going to let go at the end of the festival. Hopefully about 60-80 of them and only the white people know about. While we let them go in Walpirri language it will be explaining about the milky way and how we are all one and these lanterns are suppose to represent the milky way.

Lantern on it's way up.

Pretty big eh??? Takes 2 people to hold and a 3rd to light.

This is where I got into trouble. This is the men rehearsing, notice no women??? Well I'm taking a photo then taking a video on my camera. Remember my skin name Naparrula, So Steve comes up says Naparrula you no loud here this mens' business woops!!!!!! You best leave now. But you can give camera to man to take photo!! Now I'm not going to argue but they were rehearsing for the show only a few feet from us then going to perform in front of us but anyway I did as I was told..............yes unusual I know but I did!!!!!!

Funny Story a must Read

The women rehearsing for Milpirri which is getting really close now so everyone is getting very excited. So as you can see the white women (cartia) have been invited to join in. Oh by the way, see Margaret in the background????? I'm her mother!!!!!! She keeps telling me how much she loves me god love her, I had to take her husband's car tonight to take her home for a pit stop.

More girls getting painted. Now I was just sitting there quietly minding my own business, many of the older women understand English but can't speak it and one of them gestures to me to take my clothes off!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I don't think so these girls maybe game but my bra and shirt were staying intact. But it was funny as in my way I said very loud "I don't think so" and they all thought I was very funny. One even started lifting my shirt thinking I was joking, I think NOT.

I'm sure you would all love to see a picture of me like this!!! But on a serious note the women take it very seriously and the body art as you can see is all different and all has different meanings. This particular painting has to do with a particular type of bird.

This is Lily can't remember what her art represents, but during rehearsals she kept walking off in disgust when other women didn't get it right. She also has only just recently had water connected where she lives but still has no shower facilities. Amazing what these people are use to. I now understand how you fall in love with the people (not the place) and find it hard to leave.

They all wear beanies not sure why it's only 38-40 degrees, but these women are beautiful old souls and have won my heart :)

Community Meeting

There was a community meeting held where the people from Katherine West came by plane and some of us "mob" from the clinic. Everyone is referred to as a mob, the clinic mob, the mob at the shop etc. It was to air any grievances or any suggestions etc all were welcome and there was a free BBQ. So this was all the men that turned up and a handful of women.

Some of the dogs that showed up, think there were more dogs than "yuppa" (aboriginal) cartia are white people. None of this is disrespectful it's there language.

The cartia that turned up. But you should have seen all the people turn up when the meeting finished and the BBQ was ready. It was as if they appeared out of thin air. About a hundred of them.

BBQ at Merrilyn's

We went to Dr Merrilyn's on the Saturday after my birthday for a BBQ. This is Florry a nurse, me, Tilesa (nurse) and TM aboriginal liason.

Bit blurry but Florry, Tilesa and TM

Orla (junior Dr) Emma (nurse also our boss) not sure!! and Sarah the high school teacher.

Orla, Emma and Dr Merrilyn. Everyone looks so happy in the photos because we were so excited to have something to do!!!!!!

Milpirri Rehearsals

These are some of the boys rehearsing their dancing for the Milpirri festival coming up this weekend. They are so cute and very good.

The girls rehearsing

The boys again having a ball. I'm so disappointed I had video of the dancers but tried to upload them after 8 hours it didn't work and used up nearly all my net.

Swine flu vaccinations

We went out into the community to vaccinate everyone in the community for swine flu. Check out this kid and the hand gesture. Kids are universal all the same no matter colour, race or creed all gorgeous

The kids flocked to us wanting the needle!!!!!!! What do you do no adults and you have to be over 10 we can't vaccinate them without parental consent.....try telling them that!!!!! Kept saying no you go get family then we give needle. How many white children would line up for a needle????

Lava our receptionist she's a great help especially as interpreter with the elders.

This is very sad, the single women's quarters, all elderly women who have no-one to look after them. They put their beds outside as it's cooler at night. Those who know me would know how hard it is for me to stay away and not go and shower them all and wash all their clothes and bed linen etc but it's what they are use to.

Yes another one of my relatives, again see the resemblance???? This is Margaret I visit her twice a day on camp run and shower her Monday, Wednesday and Friday and she is only 58

Skin Systems

 The Skin name system is a division of society into a number of groups, each of which is given a name that can be used to refer to individual members of that group. There are systems with two such groupings (these are known as 'moieties' in kinship studies), systems with four (sections), six and eight (subsection systems). Some language groups extend this by having distinct male and female forms, giving a total of sixteen skin names, such as the  Warlpiri (the people I'm living with). While membership in skin groups is ideally based on blood relations, Australian Aboriginal kin systems are classificatory, meaning that even people who are not actual blood relations are assigned to a skin system. They are also universal, meaning that every member of the society is assigned a position in the system. It gets very complicated but I have been given the skin name Napurrula so I am now related to many people some of my relatives

This is my daughter Amy you can see the family resemblance and she is 33 so I started very young.

Amy again

Tarago with Wings!!!!!!

This is the plane I returned from Darwin on very, very, very, small!

Only 6 seats and 2 of those were for the pilots! Chuck one of them off I say. It was a bumpy ride the whole way but that's normal due to the SIZE of the plane.

Tamara painting our fence. Often some of the girls do this as there isn't anything else to do!!

The pool is up yipee it's only thigh deep when you stand up but certainly better than nothing. I'm way over the back in the middle.

                                                         Just another pool photo

Water

Orla on the left our junior doctor and Tilesa one of the other nurses from Samoa (her family is all safe thank God) and Chopper the clinic dog who has been rolling in the mud

After heading off again today in a different direction with my divining rod in hand in search of water look what I found, only about 90km away and yes the water is brown but I was desperate, I went in anyway. My feet sunk about a foot into the mud so I quickly ducked under and got out. I was also told no crocs!! 

One of our local kids having a swim with me.

Just the view it was actually very pretty and lots of birds.

Some of the locals from Laj who had camped out for the weekend. They had shot a bullock and cooked him up for dinner uuummm, uuummmm. they still had some fresh meat left in a bag. Oh the 2 dogs in the background are actually ours.

Just the locals again, glad I missed dinner!!!

The Town

These signs are around the town...have a look below the sign

Unfortunately this is quite common lots of rubbish everywhere although a couple of people try to keep their yards clean but not many.

This is known as lollipop lane, a little girl was killed here when someone accidently put the car in neutral and she was run over. This is a permanent shrine to her memory outside her house, very sad.

These cars are everywhere, outside people's homes on the side of the road, amazing. Just wrecks left with no wheels, often windows smashed but they are a very common site.

This is an absolute crack up. There are about 4 streets in Lajamanu and 1 has a speed hump!!!!! By the way no-one goes more than about 40km anyway.

Our Foal

Some children chased the foal's mother away on motor bikes and she hadn't been seen for a couple of days and he was being menaced by the ferrel dogs so he was brought to the nurses to look after. Of course!!!!!!!

He's about 1-2 weeks old, oh yeh we're getting the pool up and running again YIPPEE!!

Feeding time in the stables (our laundry) Jodie on the L and Tamara

Tamara, Jodie and Laji as we named him, he's so cute and doing much better after his 4th hourly feeds, we drew the line during the night though!! Apparently someone is coming to get him in a couple of weeks. As I said very different out here!

Lajamanu Sign

Not sure if I told everyone I got lost yet again on my way to Lajamanu!!!! But of course I was not to blame ......See this sign it was on my right as I was driving along. See the 3 big poles and the 2 little poles close together well.............

That was the sign to turn off to Lajamanu as you can see!!!!! How is anyone suppose to see that may I ask???????? It's behind a great big bloody sign.... AMAZING. Not to mention look at the size of it no bigger than a street sign. So naturally I drove straight past oh for a good hour or so until I saw some Aboriginals sitting on the side of the road and stopped and asked them was I on my way to Lajamanu they just laughed (funny that) and pointed back where I came from.

Just for you who keep talking about all the dirt and dust this is dust and on a daily basis!!!

More dust!!

Yesterday on my way to Dagaragu Creek a couple of wild horses (brumby) on the side of the road isn't the black one beautiful they didn't even run off when I got out