The prompt today at "imaginary garden with real toads" is Say the Names of the Places You Love.
Of Country
Murwillumbah in the Northern Rivers,
under the mountain known as Wollumbin
(which Captain Cook christened Mt Warning)
is a home which I came to late in life.
Seers, oracles and guides all told me
I belonged far north of where I was. Then Fate
and the Universe took a hand, offering a house
for rent, all the way up here, in Pumpenbil
out past Tyalgum, at the end of a dirt road
nearly to the top of the hill. The name our landlady
gave that place was Djieriong, a Bundjalung word
meaning "Freedom of the Heart".
And we found that here. Though we didn't
find any of the "many possums" we were told that
Murwillumbah was the "place of" – and as for
the mountain, there are those who say
white settlers misunderstood. That name,
they say, belonged originally to a different mountain
further along the range. Be that as it may,
it seems to me they are all good names
to use in this rainforest land, this sacred earth,
this mountain-ringed, vast valley of many rivers,
this huge Caldera around its crystal-full peak.
Do I say this is now my place? That idea of land
as possession, as property, is a notion brought
by invaders. The original people say, I believe,
that they belong to the land; custodians, caretakers.
And more than that, deeper than that: the land that bore them
is their spirit home. They are always connected
to that country. One time, for reasons, I and some others
were given the freedom of this land here, for life,
by one who could – a Githabul elder
from out Kyogle way. So yes, I do belong.
Note: Shae Brown, the above-mentioned "landlady" became a very dear friend as well. She comments elsewhere, on this poem:
"So beautiful Rosemary, it is always a delicate balance being non-Indigenous and being sensitive to knowledge as well. I connected with a Bundjalung Elder when I first moved here, to introduce myself and to respectfully ask permission to be here, which he gave...and then gave me the word to represent my relationship with Country."
"So beautiful Rosemary, it is always a delicate balance being non-Indigenous and being sensitive to knowledge as well. I connected with a Bundjalung Elder when I first moved here, to introduce myself and to respectfully ask permission to be here, which he gave...and then gave me the word to represent my relationship with Country."
How wonderful this is to read, Rosemary. Where you live carries much of the same mystique that my place has for me....the wild people, land of the original inhabitants. First Nations also we believe we belong to the land as caretakers, we do not own it. The names of your place hold magic for me. This was a wonder to read. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful "statement of place" as I've heard used before. Your body and spirit, your sense of belonging, are all alive here from the sound of your words. I feel I could know this place. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is always that one place that connects deeply with our soul 💜 love the magical imagery of yours.
ReplyDeleteThese names and their meaning have spiritual connotations. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this, Rosemary. Those Indian, Indigenous, native names of the mountains have such interesting meanings. Your picture is neat also. It reminds me of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State here. We flew inside the crater in a small plane soon after it erupted. Still smoking a little. Perhaps we worried the Indigenous spirits down in there.
ReplyDelete..
Jim dear, I appreciate your kind comment (and you!) but must just point out that indigenous Australians have never been called Indian. Whitefellas have at times used the words Aborigine or Aboriginal. In recent times I have heard some of the indigenous people say, "We are not Aborigines, we are the Origines – the original people."
DeleteThis is obviously "home" for you and it appears glorious.
ReplyDeleteYes – and I have lived here a little over 24 years by now. No intention of ever leaving!
Deletethis is very embracing - literally, I can feel you pulsing alive in these spaces, sacred as they are, with honour and reverence ~ which is simply Beautiful -
ReplyDeleteI feel honoured for the privilege
(I have a technical question, please feel free to edit this out or not post the comment, as you wish - but is the last part, where the font size changes, part of the poem? I initially read it as such - and if so, I have to say, because I really feel this poem is so authentically, you ~ your voice resonating with passion and love that if it is part of the poem - the sudden and mixed font size really just detracts from the power of the words. It's abrupt and extremely distracting. And if this is an "afterthought" to the poem - a bonus reflection? I still think it's off - and unnecessary, but perhaps additional spacing or some sort of "character" break would allow for us to stop, catch our breaths for the sheer beauty of your words, before reading on. I don't know how others feel, but I have to share this with you - because this piece is so resplendent. )
Damn! Didn't know what you were talking about until I looked at it on my iPad. And then I was horrified! The font changes do not show up on my laptop. Thanks very much for letting me know; I'll try and fix it.
DeleteWhew! Seems to be OK now, on both devices. I think it was because I was still tweaking even after I posted it last night (my Friday night), and then fell into bed at 2am. (Friday is always an exceptionally busy day for me, both on and offline.) Then I was out most of today too, so didn't even look at my blog again until this (Saturday) evening. I'm so glad you drew my attention to the problem.
DeleteOkay - breathe! Sometimes I wonder about things like this - all these different platforms and devices, and just to be sure, I'll often reload a page, or bookmark it, then later clear the cache etc. and try again .... when something "weird and outta place happens" - and yeah, I think we've all had this happen, at some point - so thanks for checking it out and it seems to be all just fine now. Makes so much better sense. And glad to be of "service" -
Deletehope you can catch your breath and enjoy your weekend 🍃
cool names, and much more interesting that flat English ~
ReplyDeleteAh, Rosemary, you got the cool names to turn into poetry! The Australian place names are songs in themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe belong to the land... how much better philosophy that is... love the misunderstanding of putting the wrong name on the mountain.
ReplyDeleteAborinie names have a special magic to them, Rosemary, in a similar way to native American and Celtic, to name but a few - the ancient tongues. I would love to live in a place with a name that mean 'Freedom of the Heart'. But them, I am lucky to live in a cottage with the name of a beautiful tree, the rowan, and a village named after a herb, dill - and you can't have everything!
ReplyDeleteAnd I firmly agree with what you say about the original people saying that they belong to the land and are custodians and caretakers, and that 'the land that bore them is their spirit home'.
A beautiful and deeply respectful song to the land that of course is not 'ours'. We do indeed belong to it. Powerful stuff Rosemary.
ReplyDeletea glorious poem Rosemary - it runs its course through the landscape of ages past into your present -lyrical place names especially the way you wove them together - spelling home by any other name
ReplyDeleteWonderful names, and spirit soaring through this. If you feel it strongly, than it is your home.
ReplyDelete