What State Am I in Now?
Well, it's perfectly appropriate that I should pen this blog entry from an internet cafe in Wollongong. Really, I should be typing using my fancy wireless internet connection from my laptop which I lug around valiantly on various trips. But I haven't got myself sorted to establish the wireless connection. The laptop usually ends up being as well utilised as the sports clothes I pack everytime I go interstate. In real life, I'm usually too tired, too tempted by the TV, or talking with colleagues into the wee hours of the night.
What State am I in now? Tired. The interesting thing about working for both Desert Knowledge CRC (DKCRC) and the Ngaanyatjarra Council is that I seem to spend half my time in neither workplace! So far, for DKCRC I've been to Brisbane and Wollongong. For Ng Council, I've been to Kalgoorlie, Perth and Irrunytju. And for me (suddenly I have the song lyrics"I've been to paradise but I've never been to me" ringing through my head), I've been to Canberra for a wedding. Not bad for 2 1/2 months on the job. I'm sure my colleagues at Ng Council must wonder if I actually do any work, as I always have the little red magnetic marker next to my name in the Out column.
Now would be a perfect time to attach some photos. I would love to attach some Kalgoorlie photos, but even though I bought a digital camera for exactly this moment, it doesn't mean that I actually remember to pack it. Not that there is a lot to see in Kalgoorlie. It's flat. Very flat. I had a brief moment of delight when I exclaimed 'oh wow, a hill at last', only to find that it was in fact the edge of the open cut gold mine pit. The mine pit extends the breadth of the town. The mining flavour of the town is strong. Take, for instance, the name of the local rag - the Kalgoorlie Miner. The main drag of town goes by the nickname of The Golden Mile (this is in fact the name used to describe the square mile around Kalgoorlie, which is the richest gold producing area in the world). And, having arrived, I quickly realised why the region was called the Northern Goldfields. That's because of all the gold. Stupid I know, but sometimes these things just don't make sense until you're actually in a place.
In lieu of Kalgoorlie photos taken with my expert eye, see attached link for some professional snaps; the last photo is of the Superpit (aforementioned 'hill'). I can affirm that it looks just like this. It's also the place where I first swore in the presence of my gracious hostess, Jacqui Brodie (Deputy ICC Manager, Kalgoorlie), proving that I am in fact human and not at all like I seem. Butter does in fact melt in my mouth. For those who like some useless facts with their photos, the superpit is actually comprised of 8 pits merged into one (super, hey). When completed, it will be 5k long, 2k wide and up to 450m deep (deep, huh). http://www.kalgoorlie.com/community/gallery.asp
Moving on from Kalgoorlie, I'm sure many more of you are wondering (a) where is Irruntyu? and (b) what does it look like? Irrunytju, also known as Wingellina, is a small Pitjantjatjara community near Surveyor-General's Corner (border of NT, WA and SA). Just as an aside for the curious, there are in fact two border markers (neither of which I have seen, despite being so close), as the southern-bound surveyors were using stars and the western-bound surveyors were using radio. To make life easier, they put up two posts. It will only become important, and worth clarifying, when the 100m patch in between proves to be the world's richest source of [insert mineral here]. Irrunytju is the only primarily Pitjantjatjara-speaking community coming under the umbrella of the Ngaanyatjarra Council. While State borders may be irrelevant to them, they're not to governments and so it was in Irrunytju's best interest to align with the WA Ng Council rather than the APY Lands in SA.
As for many Aboriginal communities, especially traditional communities, taking photos on the Lands is a fraught affair. This relates primarily to concerns about how the photos might be used in the future (especially once the person has died, when even their name - and anyone else with the same name - must not be referred to until the right amount of time has passed. Some significant men from the Lands still have their name as 'Kunmanara' even many years later). This means that it's not appropriate to take out the camera and start shooting, especially in groups. Permission is needed first. And in order to get permission, you need a relationship with the people and a reason to take the shots. All in all, this discounts me from being able to take any pictures that will give you a sense of how the general community feels and moves! As soon as I'm able to put shots up, and have the right permission to publish them on the blog, then you'll be the first to know.
In the meantime, to get a better sense of Irrunytju, have a look at their arts centre website. Irrunytju has some renowned Aborginal artists, painting in the Western Desert art tradition. They also host Ngaanyatjarra Media, the regional media organisation that supports radio and telecommunications initiatives on the Ng Lands. http://www.irrunytju.com.au
What State am I in now? Tired. The interesting thing about working for both Desert Knowledge CRC (DKCRC) and the Ngaanyatjarra Council is that I seem to spend half my time in neither workplace! So far, for DKCRC I've been to Brisbane and Wollongong. For Ng Council, I've been to Kalgoorlie, Perth and Irrunytju. And for me (suddenly I have the song lyrics"I've been to paradise but I've never been to me" ringing through my head), I've been to Canberra for a wedding. Not bad for 2 1/2 months on the job. I'm sure my colleagues at Ng Council must wonder if I actually do any work, as I always have the little red magnetic marker next to my name in the Out column.
Now would be a perfect time to attach some photos. I would love to attach some Kalgoorlie photos, but even though I bought a digital camera for exactly this moment, it doesn't mean that I actually remember to pack it. Not that there is a lot to see in Kalgoorlie. It's flat. Very flat. I had a brief moment of delight when I exclaimed 'oh wow, a hill at last', only to find that it was in fact the edge of the open cut gold mine pit. The mine pit extends the breadth of the town. The mining flavour of the town is strong. Take, for instance, the name of the local rag - the Kalgoorlie Miner. The main drag of town goes by the nickname of The Golden Mile (this is in fact the name used to describe the square mile around Kalgoorlie, which is the richest gold producing area in the world). And, having arrived, I quickly realised why the region was called the Northern Goldfields. That's because of all the gold. Stupid I know, but sometimes these things just don't make sense until you're actually in a place.
In lieu of Kalgoorlie photos taken with my expert eye, see attached link for some professional snaps; the last photo is of the Superpit (aforementioned 'hill'). I can affirm that it looks just like this. It's also the place where I first swore in the presence of my gracious hostess, Jacqui Brodie (Deputy ICC Manager, Kalgoorlie), proving that I am in fact human and not at all like I seem. Butter does in fact melt in my mouth. For those who like some useless facts with their photos, the superpit is actually comprised of 8 pits merged into one (super, hey). When completed, it will be 5k long, 2k wide and up to 450m deep (deep, huh). http://www.kalgoorlie.com/community/gallery.asp
Moving on from Kalgoorlie, I'm sure many more of you are wondering (a) where is Irruntyu? and (b) what does it look like? Irrunytju, also known as Wingellina, is a small Pitjantjatjara community near Surveyor-General's Corner (border of NT, WA and SA). Just as an aside for the curious, there are in fact two border markers (neither of which I have seen, despite being so close), as the southern-bound surveyors were using stars and the western-bound surveyors were using radio. To make life easier, they put up two posts. It will only become important, and worth clarifying, when the 100m patch in between proves to be the world's richest source of [insert mineral here]. Irrunytju is the only primarily Pitjantjatjara-speaking community coming under the umbrella of the Ngaanyatjarra Council. While State borders may be irrelevant to them, they're not to governments and so it was in Irrunytju's best interest to align with the WA Ng Council rather than the APY Lands in SA.
As for many Aboriginal communities, especially traditional communities, taking photos on the Lands is a fraught affair. This relates primarily to concerns about how the photos might be used in the future (especially once the person has died, when even their name - and anyone else with the same name - must not be referred to until the right amount of time has passed. Some significant men from the Lands still have their name as 'Kunmanara' even many years later). This means that it's not appropriate to take out the camera and start shooting, especially in groups. Permission is needed first. And in order to get permission, you need a relationship with the people and a reason to take the shots. All in all, this discounts me from being able to take any pictures that will give you a sense of how the general community feels and moves! As soon as I'm able to put shots up, and have the right permission to publish them on the blog, then you'll be the first to know.
In the meantime, to get a better sense of Irrunytju, have a look at their arts centre website. Irrunytju has some renowned Aborginal artists, painting in the Western Desert art tradition. They also host Ngaanyatjarra Media, the regional media organisation that supports radio and telecommunications initiatives on the Ng Lands. http://www.irrunytju.com.au
posted by sophsta at 11:29 pm
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