Loy's Country: Six Generation Thinking

After another night in the swags observing the Milky Way, Southern Cross and shooting stars, we awoke at dawn to climb a nearby dune hill to take in the splendor of the desert on our last day in the Outback. Small animal tracks were imprinted in the sand from their overnight forays.

During breakfast clean-up, Loy, the traditional indigenous owner of the land we camped on, came by for a chat with us about her culture. Her family has lived on this land for 40,000 years, and they’ve dated some of the cave art on her ‘country’ (as they call their land) to 7-15,000 years old. Loy straddles two worlds, coming from European pioneer ancestors on one side and indigenous ancestors on the other. Growing up, she divided her time between the city and her family’s ancestral lands. She attended university, sometimes drives a 3-trailer hauling truck and spends as much time as she can on her ancestral lands. She is the designated spokesperson for her family clan in legal or government matters concerning their land.

As we sat around the morning campfire with Loy, we talked about modern day struggles of indigenous people and traditional ways in which they lived and managed ‘country.’ She says that her people consider six generations when making decisions about country — three in the past and three in the future. She talked about individuals’ totems — hers is the witchetty grub, which is also used in healing. Her family’s creation story involves the rainbow serpent, which formed the rivers and carved through mountains.

We had a walk around her land where Loy showed us plants traditionally (and still) used for food and medicine. She also took us to a cave with symbols depicting food to be found at the nearby waterhole.

Loy was really approachable and passionate about sharing knowledge about her people. Our time with her was definitely the high point of this trip!

Leaving the Outback and arriving in the town of Alice Springs, we said farewell to Adam and our fellow travelers.Read more