Sacred Sites and Sandcastles

Today was interesting, but really a mixed bag of events. Things started off kind of slow as we set off to spend the day touring important Noongar sites in Gnowangerup with Ezzard, Uncle James, Uncle Owen and Darrell. It was definitely important that we see these sites and listen to the stories, but standing in a field looking at more field, the past seemed rather remote. While at a tiny triangle of land adorned with a small pavilion and two picnic tables, for example, we were told about how the surrounding land had been camp grounds for several generations, the birthplace of many children and the site of injustice as a policy of reservations was employed and the location of many corroborees.

The challenge of the first few sites we visited was that there was such a disconnect between our experiences on the land. We saw field or bush or a pit where dead sheep from the agricultural school were dumped, whereas the elders related the sites to Noongar history. And yet, our visit to these sites was important as it gave the elders a chance to rehearse and reclaim their history. So much of Noongar history and tradition is decentralized, that even efforts to map sacred sites have been delayed. Most of the places we visited today were unmapped and unrecorded, except in the minds of those who experienced the history. We served as an important step in sharing and reviving that history.

After lunch, though, we went on a bushwalk to the ochre pits, which is probably the most memorable place we have been in Australia so far. At the end of this trail, the path sloped down to the beach of a salt lake (once a freshwater lake, but salinization has really impacted the countryside here). Not only was the view incredible, but the beach itself was this incredible mixture of red, yellow and white ochre rocks. The stones were traditionally gathered by Noongars for paintings and body paintings before corroborees, even at the heavy cost of traveling many miles to reach the pits. The patterns on the beach were vividly inscribed in stone; it looked as though paint had been splashed across the shore. As we visited this site, it was very evident to all of us that this was indeed a very sacred site. The history was visible and apparent to all, while the beauty of the scenery was overwhelming.

We had a long car ride back to Katanning and a few of us did some laundry and window shopped for a few hours before we headed to dinner at the Noongar Center, sponsored by the Shire council. It was a small gathering with the staff from Mungart Boodja, but still very nice. I made friends right away with the son of Kim, one of Mungart’s staff members. Though we’ve met Taadjiduk, who is nearly five, a few times before, he has earned the nickname of “the sour patch kid” from our group for the harsh faces that he makes to strangers. As soon as I arrived though, I started playing with Taadj and after a little while he warmed up and was spent the rest of the night talking and playing with me. We made sandcastles and volcanoes in the sand pit outside, and I taught him high fives and low fives and to “pound it” as an alternative to punching people. Though I did also talk to the adults at dinner, it was fun to just play with a little kid for a change.

Peace,

Jill