Desert Girl Friday - A Day in the Life of - Part 1

It's Saturday, raining, and I'm wondering how my washing is going to dry. I like to contemplate some of the worlds biggest problems!

I'm conducting my routine, ritualistic Saturday task. HOUSEWORK! I cannot enjoy my weekend until I know that this has been done. Oils are burning, the scent of satya sai baba incense lingers, and the mellowing sound of Tori Amos gets me into 'the space'.

I've dusted, de-webbed, sterilsed and disinfected. I have the floors to go. Then the phone rings. The first person who comes to mind is my mother. "I won't answer it" I think to myself. She rarely rings. "What if it's urgent"?
"Hello?"
"Malpa girl"
"Hi Aunty Alison, nyunta palya?"
"Nyaba? What you doin dear?"
"I'm doing housework. You know what I do on Saturdays! What's up?"
"You clean too much. Work too much. You need to rest."
"Rest? What rest? When rest? What are you doing?"
"We went to Umbiara for punu and tjala. Car won't start. We stuck out here. Can you or Ben come out. Pleeease?"
"Of course I'll come out. Ben's gone shooting. Where at Umbiara are you?"
"Nganatja. (Here) you know that place?"
"No, I don't know 'that' place, I need you to be specific."
"Near the homelands. Just follow my tracks. We on the left hand side of the big washout where the creek bed is"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Won't start. Motor won't turn over. Battery is flat malpa. I got some jump leads. But bring a tow rope incase" I looked at my floors as I listened to Aunty Alison.

Could you begin to imagine what I am thinking by this stage! Umbiara is about 1 hour out of town down a dirt track in the direction of Lake Amadeus and forms part of the Katiti Land Trust. There is nothing more confronting than having to travel out to find someone and not know exactly where they are. Thankfully, my sense of direction has become quite polished and the old people have taught me to track, so, I felt fairly comfortable going out.

After so much rain, the condition of the road had deteriorated. To avoid getting bogged, I had to leave the road and drive cross country! Yee ha! And camels! Even better!
To avoid getting lost and missing the tracks, I got back onto the road and hit a flooded washout. Ciggarette hanging out of my mouth, windows open - SPLAAAASH! Red mud covers the car, windscreen, and, me! The wipers screech as I clear to see and the tyres on the left hand side leave the ground. BANG! The tyres on the right hand side are in the air and the ones on the left are back on the ground! THUD! All tyres are back on the ground. There was a "near roll" experience!! Because of course I needed to check the box called "4WD'ng on a Saturday!"
Driving along, more camels! They can smell the pools of water!
I could sense I was getting closer and I began to hear Alison speaking and guiding me. There they were, tyre tracks. I followed them through the thick scrub of mulga, maku bush, spinifex and desert oaks, continuing along side the creek bed until they were in sight.
The smell of singed kangaroo tail fur floated towards me and the sound of axes hitting bits of bloodwood that the women had collected earlier being carried on the wind. Four of my nanas and Aunty Alison sitting around a fire.
"Heeeeeeey! Kungka warra wiru pulka, mulapa!" They all sang. (Direct Translation: Truly a beautiful young woman!) Hmmm...?

"Siddown. The billy is on. I'll make cuppa tea. Want some wipu and damper?" (wipu, or malu wipu is kangaroo tail)
Unsure as to whether I was in the mood for malu wipu, I decided I'd settle for Aunty Alisons most delicious fluffy damper and a cup of billy tea.
After about 15 minutes, I was ready to get this car started and get going.
"Palya? Let's start him up"
"Wiya" Said nana Barbara as well as a whole lot of other things in Pitatjantjara.
"Nana said you gotta sit and rest for a little while"
"I have stuff to do" I told them. "I have to finish at home and then take Billy mob shopping"
But they were adamant. They shared their concern and asked thatbI just sit.
So, there I sat on a tarp by this creekbed, red muddy earth beneath and the women sang.
As the old women sang, one of them came over to me and began working with me energetically. I can't share too much, but after a very emotional release, and the most divine healing of hands, I felt light and calm. They had been so right. I really did just need to sit still.

"Ok malpa. Red on red, black on black" Aunty Alison told me over my shoulder.
"I know, I know" As I clasped the jump leads to the batteries
We started our cars.
"Rev him up" I called out
Both Toyotos revved loudly through the desert and the overpowering stench of deisel fumes overcame us. After a few attempts, Alison's car was ready to go.
We drove out in convoy and I was heading home.

All I could think of were my floors......