This morning I woke up a bit heavy. The last few days have taken there toll on my body that's for sure. I realised today that it was very fortunate to have a rest day, as my next stop is 160km away. In this heat and the condition I'm in I would have struggled.
I went down to the cultural centre and was very relieved to get out of the sun. It is around 42degrees, according to a thermometer in town and feeling every bit of it. Once in the centre I was amazed at the knowledge and still continuing practices of the Indigenous people from the region. The most interesting thing about learning the culture in this part of Australia is that it is still actively practised. As unfortunate as it is and as much as I dislike saying this, the Aboriginal culture around Victoria seems that it is from a distant past. In this part of the country it feels strong and still thriving, at least from what I've gathered. I also think that as the Aboriginal population is larger here, more white fellas are exposed to the culture. In Victoria it comes across, and understandably so, that white fellas aren't welcome into the Aboriginal cultural domain.
The cultural centre was quiet and I was becoming very tired. I was in there for a good 3 hours. It was cool and comfortable inside so I decided to have a sleep on a couch in one of the rooms. I slept for about an hour, woke up then continued looking in the centre.
After the centre it was late in the afternoon so I decided to go down the beach area and see if the kids were around. I also had my mind on getting some things organised for tomorrow so wasn't overly keen on hanging around all night. Despite this I was very keen to have some fun with the kids again and also get in for a swim.
Sure enough all the kids and the man were out swimming in the water. The second they saw me they yelled at "Hey Jamie!!". They all swam in my direction and then headed over to the pontoon where we played yesterday. Today there were about 12 kids, maybe double as yesterday. The extra 6 were a group of young girls, also from Pintjarra country. We continued playing the same game as yesterday "Courties". This is great fun as it has also allowed me to communicate in a non interrogative manner. Throughout the game I'd try to ask the kids different questions and get an idea of the Pintjarra culture. I struck a good relationship with a few of the children, in particular one boy named George.
It was evident these kids have a deep connection with the land. A good example of this was when everyone stopped playing, as one of the children exclaimed "dolphin". I was looking thoroughly through the water and couldn't see any thing. The children and the older fella started making high pitched sounds, as if to communicate and attract the dolphin to where we were. They started kicking their legs in the water off the side of the pontoon. This was really a spectacular experience. The only other occasion I've heard somebody communicate with wildlife was during the time I spent in the Amazon and to a lesser extent my time on country in Broome. This does something to your soul, when you see fellow humans connecting with what the rest of dominant society see as feral or wild animals. It was a nostalgic feeling, as I thought of my time in this setting in the past and also as if it was taking me back to the way I felt life should be. In this state of mind any negativity releases and you purely focus on what's around you, a really incredible feeling. Sure enough a few minutes later two dolphins swam right up to the pontoon. They literally stayed still in the water as they had there fins sticking out in front of us. It seemed as if the dolphins were putting on a show for us. The kids asked me to call to the dolphin, I attempted but couldn't manage to get the same tone as them.
After this the young fella George kept starting conversation with me. He would ask different questions about different things. George had this overwhelming maturity for such a young fella, only 12 years old. Questions were asked such as if I had brothers or sisters, where I'm from, my surname etc. I found with many of the kids they were all interested if I had any siblings. I soon realised how tight kinship was for this family, also something I've learnt from other Aboriginal communities. It is these type of mannerisms that I see distinctly different to western orientated children. I know personally I barely speak with my brothers, yet this idea was very foreign to the Pintjarra children. They then asked what other language I spoke, insinuating I'd have an Aboriginal language. I explained I only spoke English, and white fellas in Melbourne aren't as smart as the black fellas in Alice Springs. They were somewhat surprised we didn't have a big Aboriginal presence in Melbourne, and additionally that we didn't have language. Thinking about it now I realise most other places they've been would have there own language, or at least different dialects to Pintjarra. I told the children they had to teach me. They started telling me words, and I soon realised the difference in perception that certain words carried. They told me a word for how are you, it was a single word and also meant more of a "you good yeah?" The word sounded something like "Budeyaya". A great insight to what appears to be a very intriguing culture.
Following this I left as they all continued playing. I had the same feeling that these guys were going to be out all night. This time I had reason to go as I wanted to organise my stuff and get an early sleep before a big day riding tomorrow. I was curious to hang around and see how long the kids actually stay out for. I said goodbye and all the kids said a spirited goodbye back. Similar to yesterday they asked if I would return as they waved me off. I said this time I won't and they wished me luck. The older fella also said goodbye, as it seemed we had formed some minor bond over the two days.
Back at the camp ground I had dinner and packed my stuff. I was ready for bed and looking forward to the sleep. As I finished packing my gear I realised my phone was missing. I looked for about an hour and still couldn't find it. A German bloke and Argentinian girl who were staying close by started looking as well. They were very friendly, trying to call it, using the flash light etc. I had it in the camp kitchen as I had dinner and soon realised someone had taken it while I was eating dinner. The phone was off and I couldn't get through. I felt so angry and also disappointed that someone would steal something like this. I could possibly understand if someone stole food or whatever but not an item that has all somebody's information in it. I then realised I'd have to report it tomorrow and sort out another phone. Looks like another day off now.
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