Today was another early start for us at 8AM.
While we waited for our tour guide Ryan, Mark told us that we were going to the Border Store to get our lunches and then we were heading over to the Njanjma Rangers headquarters in Gunbalunya. When we got to the headquarters, the rangers were introduced and we were split into two groups. The girls were going to map and see some weeds that were invading the land, while the boys were off to plant some trees. There was talk of the girls heading off to weave things with pandanas (a native bush plant used by many of the peoples here to weave baskets, jewellery etc) however, it was decided that we would do this tomorrow.
The girls went on to see the nearby billabong and had a discussion about Injalak Hill. Then as we (the girls) returned, we were met with new plans of going to check out some traps and weeds. We got to go to these places with the girls from the school nearby. We assisted in setting up a trap and checked out some problematic weeds around the area. Then we (the girls) went to have lunch with the girls from the school, made a swift return to the HQ, and was reunited with the rest of the group. The boys gave us a rundown of what they did without us which included digging holes, mapping and planted Anbinik trees. They also learnt some words from the language spoken in the region.
After, we went to a very important site where we had the rangers show us some sweet potato plants and then a burial site in the large rocks. One of the rangers then began to talk to the spirits of their ancestors and asked the spirits to welcome us because we were new visitors. After that, we went to “Sabana” which was the highlight of our trip by far! We were so lucky to have the rangers accompany us and show us how they hunt magpie goose, and how they fish. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity as it meant that the rangers really trusted us and felt comfortable enough to show us how they lived with the land. We felt like one big family.
Tomorrow is one more day with the rangers and we are so excited.
Love,
Gaut and Amira on behalf of the Australia group 🇦🇺
