Oppressive heat rising from a
formless sun baked land
In the belly of darkness, desert dwellers sing sacred songs
In the belly of darkness, desert dwellers sing sacred songs
Their timeless cipher, infused with
stories from the Gulapa man
He breathes life into each grain of
sand, shaping country into being
Law of the Dreamtime forged from eternity
of the Never Never
Their knowledge recirculated within
haunting wails of the Djalupi
Ochre clouds carry on arid winds,
where their stories can unfold
From the fields of Uluru , the Songlines
traverse land and sea,
Where they eventually reach your
Ocean shores
I often wonder…can you feel my breath
stir an awakening in your sleeping ?
Do you ever wonder how is it possible
that we are both hearing
the same song when we are dreaming …
28°31'29.7"S 153°32'17.3"E
Heated breath billows life into the
formless mass of sand
Each grain skilfully forged and sculpted in the belly of fire
As the craftsman blows into
existence brilliant baubles and shapes
Shards of cerulean jewels expand with
every breath he takes
I see a cloud in the distance approach, strange
sounds… perhaps a story
Telling me how to reach you in your darkened state
Somewhere along the Ocean Shores, I see a chihuly rose
As it captures the first rays…a
glistening awakening of the beauty of light
…in all it’s fragility.
I often hear your haunting song carry
on the breeze…at night it keeps me from sleeping
Never quite knowing if I am awake… or
do you simply keep my heart beating
To guide me back to you through our
dreaming
46° 58′ 18″ N, 124° 9′ 17″ W
(c) Divinia Nightfire 22 May 2016
46° 58′ 18″ N, 124° 9′ 17″ W
(c) Divinia Nightfire 22 May 2016
GLOSSARY OF ABORIGINAL TERMS
Gulapa man –magic man. The Gulapa is someone who can move between realms unseen, and controls the elements.
Dreamtime and songlines-http://www.tourism.australia.com/aboriginal/aboriginal-culture/dreamtime-stories-and-songlines.aspx
Never never- is a term first written in a poem called Where the Dead Men Lie by Australian poet Barcroft Boake.
It was first published in The Bulletin magazine on 19 December 1891 to describe the ENDLESS deserts.
For white people, entering the Never Never was a sure death sentence. Men would get lost, go mad, die.
The Aboriginal people could navigate these same places because of the songline maps.
They knew how to return from the NN. It was part of their ceremonial initiations and WALKABOUT…
you reach an age, you go with the elder men who teach you sacred songs and dance.
They leave you to fend for yourself, to hunt, find water survive the harsh barren hot land.
Djalupi- didjeridoo
poem inspired by this song by OKA
Australian Band
Australian Band
The song CHIHULY features the glass didgeridoo presented to Stu by
master glass craftsman Dale Chihuli during his exhibition at the National
Gallery of Australia.
