Access issues have become particularly topical with the closure of the Grampians, the potential closures in Arapiles and the tensions at Nowra. And while they are a long way from where I live, I thought it was about time I got off my ass and learned a little bit more about these issues. Often I feel a responsibility as a representative of the club, as a conscious young person, as an ecology student and as a white person to be aware of the impact I am having. However I still feel like I have such little true knowledge of the land in which I live and play. So when the opportunity came up to learn some more I jumped at it. Afterwards I was pretty keen to share a small part of what I had learnt. Although reading it over a screen is a complete injustice to the stories that we were told, here is a snapshot of what I remember from my day with Evan.
It was a pretty grey day when a bunch of climbers, collected mostly from Sydney rockies, rocked up in falconbridge station. I was almost the youngest and before even meeting our guide Evan I was intimidated. These climbers had been around the block a few times, climbed things I’ve dreamed of and their stories and achievements humbled mine. From the moment Evan arrived and started chatting I liked him. He was compelling and knowledgeable but also smiled and joked. It felt like he knew that our connection with land was already strong as climbers and I felt unjudged and unpatronized.
We walked out of the station and into the bush. Our first lesson was feeling and relaxing. Feeling our balance, smelling the leaves, watching the signs Mother Earth was giving us about the day. Each bit of information was small and insignificant but at the same time adding to a collective pool of deep knowledge.
We left the main path and headed down a small foot pad. Every now and then stopping for Evan to point things out. Introducing us to touching, tasting, feeling and smelling the plants. The fly repellent, the disinfectant, the edible fruit, the old trees that were around before white people, the hair brush and the handy plant I know as Lomandra. After a short while we arrived at our first site and our lesson really began.
We sat down on a large undulating rock with some engravings and were told stories. The first was the cycle of life. The five moons. The five stages of knowledge, each transitioning into the next with initiation. We were told about how incredibly important initiation was for culture and for teaching. And how without initiation we would stay in the child level of knowledge. A sad tale when initiation has been almost completely wiped out when colonisation happened. The second story, completely intertwining with the first, was of the three rainbow serpents. Mother Earth, father sky and baby rainbow serpent. Evan spoke of how Mother Earth was the difference in all things, farther earth was the oneness and when they danced they made baby serpent, the newness. And all three needed respecting. He spoke of how the stories became universal, and while different people will have different depictions or interpretations, the laws of the land where mostly consistent. Throughout the day he integrated the three snakes and the five moons into all the stories and teaching. And while he spoke I absorbed a feeling of these beings and concepts, it's very hard to write about them with the rigid written word.
Evan showed us how, to respect a site you need to ask the spirit for permission to be there and how to cleanse yourself of bad energy. Emphasising particularly how symbolism is used extensively throughout culture and ritual. We closed our eyes and manifested a fire. Imagining the blue grey smoke washing up our bodies. Gathering all the bad energy and travelling up to father sky and being burnt by the sun. Then he showed us the carvings and told us their stories. The carvings were made by a spirit doctor. A sacred site can be sacred without carvings but if a spirit doctor deemed it necessary they and they alone could make a place significant. Evan explained how what we think of as art is not art, but spirit and a calling of the spirit using symbolism.
The single photo I took of the day. The stories of mother serpent (in his country depicted as an eel) at the top, father sky at the bottom, baby serpent on the left, some of the different ways animal spirits were depicted on the right. In the middle is a meeting place complete with man, woman and child. And finally the hand of spirit doctors. Connecting them to a sacred place.
The locations of the sacred sites he showed us are secret but he spoke of a fine balance between keeping information secret so that it is preserved. Not to be diluted, disrespected. But also maintaining knowledge and passing down culture. This balance is one that I struggle with. Wanting knowledge but still mindful of being disrespectful or intruding. I was so happy and awed to be invited into a space and show unconditional information. He was always asking, any questions?
After walking and stopping to talk and walking and stopping to talk, I felt more grounded. I felt much more connected and present. Feelings that I get mostly while climbing. And while we didn’t talk of access issues or his opinion on bolting I came away with new ideas about being on this land and I will most certainly be changing the way I lead trips.