Hanson Boxer from Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation on why being on-country is so important :
I brought my son here into this desert country. It’s the land of Walmajarri. But we’re heard that rangers are going to country up there at land of Walmajarri and I said to myself “Well, I’d like to go up there. That’s my father’s country and my grandmother’s country, the mother of my father and I’ll take my boy, Emile, to show him the country of his grandfather." That makes me feel good now.
So, my grandfather, my dad’s father, who was born out here and living his traditional ways, was still able to transfer his knowledge to my father even though my father was part of the generation of people who grew up on stations and were born on stations compared to my grandfather who lived in his traditional ways. He was still fortunate enough to be able to transfer that knowledge. And even though during the colonisation period that my father was born and raised during he was still able to transfer that very important knowledge to him. And even now that’s 50, 60, 70 years later after he’s been through that whole experience he’s still able to transfer me that knowledge in a completely different context.
Like we didn’t travel out here by foot anymore like my grandfather did...... we came out here in a helicopter and we came out here with cars and all this camping equipment. And even though the context is much different that same strong cultural knowledge is still being transferred. And I feel very, very fortunate to be a part of that whole process and it’s been very humbling and a very special experience for me.
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