What do the film Sweet Country, Warlpiri kinship and Johnny Cash’s “Peace in the Valley” have in common? Frank Baarda explains.

Everyone has others one is obligated to (has to care for) and others who care for one. No man or woman is an Island. ‘Skin’ classification guides the nature and intensity of relationships. A feature of the system that appeals to many ‘westerners’ is “mother in law avoidance” In former stricter times it was absolutely forbidden for one’s mother-in-law to be addressed or to be in the same room. It still happens that someone might wait outside a shop because “there is no room”.

“Better than Roy and HG!!” – Stewie O’Connell calls the footy at the Yuendumu Sports Weekend

One fella came up to me at the end of the second day and said the comedy that came out of the commentators trying to keep up with whose who on the field was “better than Roy and HG!!” The starting point in any footy commentary is to get a good team sheet in numerical order. The challenge out bush is that there are often three players wearing the same number, several players with no number and some players with no guernsey at all. That’s when you have to get creative and write the player’s name next to “red boots”; “barefoot”; “topknot”; “big tummy” etc.

Essential documents from Aboriginal Australia: 7 – the 2008 Yuendumu Petition

Supporti-ki karlipa wangkami, tala manu nyiya kanti-kanti yungungurlu ngalpa yinyi nyampurla ngurungka. Nyampurla Yurntumu-rla panu karlipa madarni nyiya-ningki-jarra ngula karliparla yulkami. Madarni karlipa jana Mt Theo program, kurdu kurdu kurlangu, Warlpiri-rli ngulpa karlipa jana tiji-mani, PAW, Mampumaninja-Kurlangu jarlu patu ku, WarlukurIangu arts centre, manu yangka ngula kalu jana mardarni wiri-wiri-rli kurdu-kurdu. Ngulalparlipa mangu pungkalayi, Yungurlu ngalpa nyanyi nguru kari wardingki-rli pirrdiji ngula karlipa mardarni.

10 more years of “beads and mirrors” – Yuendumu’s 2008 ‘Statement from the Heart’

Yapa-patu nganimpa, Yurnturnu wardingki karndu nyarra wangkami ny arnpu statemcnt purdanyajaku manu yungurnkurlu pina kanyi Federal manu N.T. Government kirra ... Nyurru ngurla juku!

NT Health Minister John Elferink on death, dollars and dialysis

"Renal failure is a post-colonial disease, short and simple. The causes of renal failure are complex. But what we do know is that the highest rates of kidney disease are found in fourth world communities. This is the situation we face in central and remote Australia." Sarah Brown, Western Desert Dialysis

Is the NT’s paperless arrest scheme a new “hallmark of tyranny”?

Kumanjayi Langdon, a sick, middle-aged Aboriginal man, was treated like a criminal and incarcerated like a criminal; he died in a police cell which was built to house criminals ... he was always likely to die suddenly due to chronic and serious heart disease, but he was entitled to die as a free man.

37 – the only number that matters at the Yuendumu Sports Weekend

The Yuendumu Sports Committee had a plan. "All of the teams from across central Australia that come for the Yuendumu Sports agreed that we would do what we could to show our support and respect for Adam Goodes and every Aboriginal sportsman and woman across the country. This is an important thing for us and our kids. We can't let that business happen without standing up."

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