like water (5 - 11 july)

this week began by being invited to and attending my first (zoom) meeting with the Basquadé Inchalá Community of the Charrúa Nation in Uruguay. it was very moving to hear other peoples stories about their connection to their Indigenous heritage through land, customs, family and the pain of oppressed narratives, the silences and denials. it was for me so very healing to share my story, to be witnessed  and to realise that my story was very similar to many others. of the I think 15-17 people who were able to join the meeting, about 5 or 6 of us were either living in Australia or had lived here for some time or had family living here

>> la tierra tiene memoria/the land remembers <<

I asked the trees once, why should I have such a connection to this place? They answered: our land masses were once joined you know? and so I went to the internet and the internet said "Ancient eucalyptus discovered in South America" and "A detailed eucalypt family tree"

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this week has required me to be more like water. to let go of the plans I had made, cry, embrace the rain from my balcony, flow with changes in the schedule and routine, deepen into fluid (even if that fluidity is looking less than graceful) consistent movement and the power of daily practice.

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the week in images below. we have been using and learning some of the Aboriginal names for the plants, birds and trees we often see. as I am learning Guaraní, Tomas is also using some of the Guaraní or Charrúa words we know. our tongues remember the taste of the sounds. the text I mention in the caption of the last photo below "D'harawal Dreaming Stories" is available via this link dharawalstories.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/burragorang1-1mb.pdf

tea to remember my dreams (recipe thanks to Yayi Negarra)

"Let's go visit the karumbe mum" but no turtles were to be seen today in the pond. we were instead entertained by old man crow Wai'gon* being unceremoniously told to leave the area by a group of Noisy Miners, Wirrgan* - - - - - - - *D'harawal names as written in "D'harawal Dreaming Stories" by Frances Bodkin and Gawaian Bodking-Andrews and illustrated by Lorraine Robertson (link in text above)