updated 23 June 2009
See Kapululangu News Updates below
From 27 May to 2 June
Women from Across the Kimberley and Australia
Celebrated Ten Years
of the
Kapululangu
Women’s Law and Culture Centre
Women’s Law and Culture Centre
The Kapululangu Women Elders of Balgo
invited elders, middle-generation, young women and girls
Indigenous and non-Indigenous to the
Indigenous and non-Indigenous to the
Balgo Women’s Law Camp 2009
Ceremony, Culture Sharing & Talking Story
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The purpose was to Build Relationship with
Self, Kin, Country and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming)
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REPORT FROM THE
BALGO WOMEN'S LAW CAMP
The Balgo Women’s Law Camp, held from 27 May to 2 June, was very powerful for everyone involved. Eighty women lived together on the Blue Hill Law Ground for six days of ceremony. Women came from Balgo, Mulan, Kururrungku/Billiluna, Ringer Soak, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Broome, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Lismore (NSW) and Maleny (Qld). They were Aboriginal and Kartiya/non-Indigenous women. We also had four young women from Balgo, and three young Kartiya women (one from Maleny and two from Perth).
This was the third women’s camp at Blue Hill. It follows on from the first Balgo Women’s Law Camp in August 2007 and the Young Women’s Culture Camp in April 2008.
It was the most important Law Camp that Kapululangu has ever held. It was an important time for “growing up women: Strong for Law, Strong for Culture”. There were so many ceremonies. There was a lot of dancing and singing. Each ceremony took women deeper into the Tjukurrpa with each step.
The Elders worked well together to teach and protect everyone at the Camp and to teach Culture and Law to all the participants – Aboriginal and non-Indigenous. Everyone was extremely touched by the strength of the Elders. Everyone was very grateful to them and thank them very much for their wisdom, guidance and support. The land is strong at Blue Hill – because women have danced on it for so many years. We could all feel its strength.
Everyone had such a good time that they have asked for many more camps. Kapululangu elders made a commitment to work more closely with the women elders from Ringer Soak, Kururrungku and Mulan. They want to invite them to all our big Law and Culture activities in the future.
Everyone worked really hard together. The Kartiya women quickly warmed to their roles as Tilitja/Culture Workers for the Elders. They fully understood the importance of giving service to the Elders. (Tilitja is a traditional role in all Law and Culture events, and lies at the core of how Kapululangu operates.) The Tilitja worked really well in the Kitchen under the direction of Kapululangu’s (new) Administrator wonder-woman Maggie Gleeson (who the Elders have made “Nakamarra” and given her “Tjantjiya” for her Bush-Name). Groups of Kartiya were going around with trays laden with the most wonderful meals and cups of tea giving them out to the Elders and other women.
Ochre Doyle Wunguya Napaltjarri, an Aboriginal woman from Broken Hill who has been involved with Balgo and the Kutjungka since 1993, looked after the Kapululangu Elders in every way. Ochre has worked closely with Kapululangu since it started in 1999 and attended the Women’s Law Camp in 2007. Maggie and Ochre were supported by Corrine Batt-Rawden, who came to Kapululangu with Ochre to be her support and helper. Both are artists and they did some really good art work with the women both before and during the Camp.
Margaret Yintjurru Anjule Napurrula (Vice-Chair and Rotational Chair), Ruby Darkie Nangala (Kapululangu’s Chairwoman), Payi Payi Sunfly Napangarti (Secretary), Maudie Mandigalli Napanangka and Mungkina Dora Rockman Napaltjarri were among the strong Senior Law Women who ran the Law Camp. There were a lot of Senior Law Women at the Camp who came from right across the Kutjungka so there are too many names to list here. But together these women Elders made the Camp the wonderful experience it was. They taught us, guided us, protected us, looked after us, and healed all of us with their wisdom and courage. We are all very grateful to them. We thank them for holding Yawulyu: for holding Women’s Law for us and for all women.
Nakarra Marie Mudgedell (Kapululangu’s Vice-Chair) cooked mountains of very welcomed nutritious bread for everyone. Patsy Mudgedell Nakamarra, as Kapululangu’s Cultural Facilitator, contributed much to the Camp. This included a meeting in which women felt safe to express how they felt as Aboriginal and non-Indigenous women working together on the Law Ground. This meeting was made stronger by Aboriginal singer-musician Kerryanne Cox giving us all a chance to hear her beautiful voice and songs.
The Kapululangu Elders were delighted to see their dances and songs recorded for future generations by an all-Aboriginal, all-female film crew from PAKAM (thanks Bonny and Julieanne). The film crew was organised, directed and helped by Patsy in her PAKAM role. The Kapululangu elders have repeatedly stated their desire to have their songs documented as a resource to teach young women and to hold them for future generations. The Elders made strong restrictions on what could be filmed – and what could not be filmed – and this was respected by everyone. None of the guests took photos at any time during the Law Camp.
The Blue Hill Law Ground was a wonderful home for us all. We had two large wilitja/bough-sheds – the biggest one for the yawulyupirri (women’s dancing ground). They were built by Kapululangu’s Joah Gleeson (“Tjapaltjarri”) with the assistance of WAC’s Geoff Burns, and Kelly Mudgedell and Eric Sunfly from Balgo Clinic. Thanks Bruce for lending them to us as their help meant that Zohl only had to do two days of the heavy lifting with Joah herself. We also had a large kitchen space which was built by Zohl and Kapululangu’s friend Corrine Batt-Rawden.
The days were warm, but the nights were very cold. But, unfortunately, we had some really cold, wet rain on the second night. It totally drenched the Fitzroy Crossing women who hadn’t brought good tents with them. Everyone was worried for their elders and didn’t want them to get sick. This meant that the Crossing women had to decide to return home after two days. It made Kapululangu women very sad that their Crossing guests had to leave before the Camp was finished. But everyone understood. The sun came out soon after the Crossing women left and it didn’t rain any more for the rest to the Camp. Just in case it rained again, Kapululangu arranged for more tarps and all the tilitja/culture workers helped make all the women’s tents and bough-sheds very warm and cosy.
Two highlights of the Law Camp were the Gift Giving Ceremonies. The first Gift Giving saw Kapululangu and some of our guests giving new Blankets to all of the Elders and some good second-hand jumpers. This was so that they could stay warm at the Camp. Kapululangu women had also made some small gifts of bush medicines to our guests. The second Gift Giving saw the Kartiya giving money in appreciation to Kapululangu to help us pay the Elders from Balgo, Mulan, Ringer Soak and Kururrungku for their cultural knowledge and their teaching.
Kapululangu wants to thank all of the women who came to the Law Camp – particularly the Elders from Mulan, Kururrungku, Ringer Soak and Fitzroy Crossing. We want to thank all of the women who came, from all of their many communities across Australia. We want to thank the young women who came – both the local Aboriginal young women and the Kartiya ones: it was good to have you all with us. We want to thank all of the Kartiya women who came. We particularly want to thank those Aboriginal and Kartiya women who were strong and committed Tilitja/Culture Workers and helped look after the Elders.
Kapululangu wants to thank the men of Balgo for their support. Special thanks go to the Senior Law Men of Balgo who supported the Women’s Law Camp – especially Jimmy Tchooga Tjapangarti and Jupiter (Patrick) Smith Tjapaltjarri. Particular thanks to all of the men and the women and children who gathered on the Oval for the Community Welcome Back Women’s ceremony. This showed once again that Balgo men respect Women’s Law, just as Balgo women respect Men’s Law. We need both Men’s and Women’s Law to be strong – so that we can be strong.
As Kapululangu’s Coordinator Zohl dé Ishtar thanks:
· the Kapululangu Elders and Directors for running a brilliant, important and empowering Women’s Law Camp.
· Maggie, Ochre and Rin for being such strong and tireless workers on the Law Camp – as well as before and after it
· Joah for all his work in preparing the Camp site and for providing logistical support from behind the scenes while we were all of the Law Ground
· Wirrimanu Aboriginal Corporation Directors for grading the site, providing some labour and lending trailers and the water tank
· Balgo Clinic for the regular nursing staff visits to the Camp, two male staff who helped build the Camp bough-sheds, and for looking after women’s medicines and (re)supplying our first-aid box
· Sally from Warlayirti, Rhondda and Vicki from Balgo Clinic, and Br Michael from Luurnpa School who either drove women to the Law Camp, or offered to if they were needed
· Luurnpa School, Boystown, Indigenous Protected Areas (Mulan and Billiluna) and Warlayirti Art Centre for lending trailers, satellite phones and other resources
· Yiriman Women’s Project of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre for their substantial funding of the event, and for sending their wonderful staff cooks to help Maggie with providing food to all of the Kutjungka participants.
· Quaker Service Australia (QSA) one of Kapululangu’s funders for sending Aletia Dundas to join us at the Law Camp. QSA has funded Kapululangu’s “Teaching Culture – Healing People” program. She was able to talk with Kapululangu about the possibility of some future funding.
· Thanks also to the Commonwealth Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and to Smyl Community Services for their financial contribution to the Camp.
The Kapululangu Elders and Directors are already talking about the next Women’s Law Camp which they are planning for next year. They hope that all those women from the Kutjungka who missed out on this one, will make sure that they come to the next one. Women’s Law Camps make all of our people and our communities strong. As Kapululangu’s motto says the Elders and Directors are committed to “Revitalizing Women’s Law”; and to “Caring for Women and [their] Community”.
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Kapululangu welcomes all donations.
Electronic Transfer is preferred:
Name: Kapululangu Aboriginal Women Association
Bank account: BSB 066530 / Account 10107707
If you need to send a cheque our land address is:
Kapululangu, c/- PMB 7, Balgo, via Halls Creek, WA 6770.
If electronically transferring please send an email to
to let us know you have gifted Kapululangu
and please send us your postal address if you want a receipt.
All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
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