Hunter Nanna, Lynn, visited Wangan and Jagalingou country, northwest of Clermont in central-western Queensland. Here’s her report:
Last weekend I travelled to Wangan and Jagalingou country to celebrate their five years of re-occupation of the Adani mine lease site.
Mala Waddanangu. Mala means five and also hand. There were many hands there to help with the work and celebration, including some old friends.
I travelled on the bus with the awesome Rising Tide crew.
The weekend was packed with awe-inspiring and wonderful moments and I felt very privileged to be there. Cultural custodian and musician, Gurridulya, emphasised that this was not a protest but a celebration and that he and his family have moved beyond fighting Adani to providing a model and inspiration to other mob in their fight to regain country.
The first nations panel was very moving. I was particularly affected by Ruth Langford, as she described the logging in Lutruwita, Tasmania, as a palpable slaughter ground, and how she was compelled to bear witness there and sing to the old people. She also spoke about the links between water, the feminine, tree growth and life. “Ecocide is Femicide”.
The panel culminated in the Elders present signing the kangaroo skin statement of recognition of Wangan and Jagalingou country. It was a very powerful moment.
Saturday night, we were treated to a corroboree with traditional dancers as the sun set, followed by a couple of DJ sets as the moon rose. It was a truly magical evening.
The lights projected on the mine overburden wall read: 5 years – Still Here – Not Going Anywhere.
We had a quiet moment on Sunday at sunset with a women’s picnic in Baby Lane.
Here Wangan and Jagalingou woman, Kelly Anne, explained how they have continued the old tradition when a child is born, of placing the placenta in a tree. That tree belongs to the mother and child from then on and they have responsibility to nurture it. Their essence passes from the tree into root nodules, which feed the kangaroo rats and from them passes to the rest of the country. The scar on the tree is made to face the opposite way to where the sun rises on the child’s birthday.
The whole weekend was peppered with Gurridulya’s stories from hilarious trolling of the Queensland police to awe inspiring perspectives on how we could have a different world.
See Wangan and Jagalingou – standing our ground on socials for more.