Ngalli-ngaa buubaan butherun (We learn from Flood Stories)

Jingela blaganmirr 

Hello Everyone
Ngalii – ngaa naa jaguun gunuu djanda mandii nguthung garra guuriaabun, beehing, nguubuu-gan

We acknowledge Country – our elders past present and future
Ngalii-ngaa binung-garri jerrd muugaa guuway gulgii-wen

We know big storms bring change
ngalii maanal ngambaa gulgii-wen buuyawan gawarii-gaa

We get ready for more change to come
Ngalli-ngaa bilaan buuwiiaan, gwang, buubaan, jan-gany webrrd muunaa gali maadj butherun

We learn from wind, rain, flood, lightning, hail, or fire – they teach us stories
Ngalii-ngaa wala-wala guuriilaa wuuyun-girr

We share old ways into the new
Ngalii-ngaa nyaagii gaany ba-aarn nguubuugan

We need these ways now and for our future
Ngalii ngaa garima lee la jaguun, jaguun garima mebeerrd

We care for Country, as Country cares for us
Ngalli ngaa naa gannga la

We hope you understand
Bugle bee wala-wala

We thank you for the opportunity to share

The stories we share can bring good or bad emotions, but it's what we learn from them that really matters. Really only two ways to learn: easy or hard. Bundjalung Jagun (Country) had been shaped by water, fire, plants, animals and elements for millions of years before it became Jagun to our ancestors. The creation beings forged relationships through positive and negative actions with and against it each other, this is what taught them to create and teach lore. They learnt each other's stories and they learnt ways of supporting or challenging each other to grow and exist, that's the legacy we inherited when our old people learnt to walk and paddle through these lands and waters. The rivers are our blood lines, they bring stories of life and change. The old people learnt to share the medicine, food, fibre and energy with all the other beings that shared their stories. We need to remember or learn more of these stories about respect, connection, kinship, relationships and reciprocity to place because these are the stories that restore us, give us hope, give us energy and give us an understanding of the opportunity that we have as old and future Custodians of this place. 



Over the last 200 or so years we've seen a massive change in the landscape. We've seen colonization remove the old people, the trees cleared and our waters drained across most of the landscape. What was once a vibrant landscape with diverse and connected people living in relative abundance, that ebbed and flowed with the changes of seasons, through ice ages, droughts, fires and floods. Our stories and relationships to Country have been broken down or forgotten. Today, like every day, we stand at a pivotal point where we can get up and we make decisions about where we go and what we do there. Hopefully we have learnt to learn from these floods. We have an opportunity to come together here and we invite you to stand up and walk or jump in and dive in with us.

Statement and Language by Uncle Rick Cook, Marcus Ferguson and Oliver Costello.