Old Man’s story: The last thoughts of Kakadu Elder Bill Neidjie
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley August 6, 2015
Author Bill Neidjie & Mark Lang
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ISBN: 9781922059949
Publisher: Aboriginal Studies Press
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Website: http://www.aiatsis.gov.au
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“This one now, where we sitting now, here we sit on this earth.
Only one earth.
But this story should be spread out.
For anybody.’
Two stories woven into one, each stemming from a deep love and respect for country and each other; One an old respect based on the lore of the land, tradition and inheritance; the other a new respect based on the desire to understand the land, the lore of the land as understood by the traditional owners, the keepers of the land. Combined they create a powerful, profound and emotional picture.
When Mark Lang decided to head off on a voyage of exploration to photograph the vast expanses of this place called Australia, in an attempt to try and understand the fascination and mystery it has held for millenniums, little did he understand the significance of the journey he was about to undertake.
When ‘Old Man’ Bill Neidjie, elder of the Bininj Mungguy peoples, traditional owners of Kakadu met Mark he, after much deep thought, decided to tell his third and final story about the things he held dear; his deep and instinctive love of country, his concerns for the younger generation and his worry over who was going to look after the traditional lands, undertake to be the keepers of the vast store of traditional knowledge handed down through the generations.
Spoken and transcribed accurately his story is a powerful voice, a powerful telling of a culture which spans thousands of years, that has largely been eradicated as the relentless surge for minerals, land and riches has encroached on tribal lands; on places that hold the spiritual history of the peoples who lived on, respected and understood this vast land.
Bill Neidjie was born ‘in country’ growing up on the land. He was sent to school with the missionaries and then went to work away from his tribal lands, only returning a grown man when his country was ‘singing to him’.
Once he returned he was never to leave. He took up his rightful position and the responsibilities which come with being the elder, the head man, of the tribal peoples and lands.
He was a force to be reckoned with when Uranium mining came to Kakadu and was a leader in the fight to have the lands which are now called Kakadu National Park, placed on the World Heritage List and considered a living cultural landscape.
A man of vast tolerance, he loved to tell a story, his story and the story of the land. By sharing his story, by making it available to all who care to discover and understand more about the traditional ways and beliefs of the indigenous peoples, he has broken with tribal law, so strong was his belief that the story needed to be told so more could and should understand.
That Mark Lang, has with a gentle love and respect managed to retell the story in ‘Old Man’s’ own words, coupled with his wonderful photographs is a tribute to them both. Broken up into Seasons he has tied all the traditional stories together with his personal story of desiring to learn more and being granted an audience, a special window into a culture only few have been given.
That “Old Man’ was a true character, with a wonderful sense of humour, is told when he decided to hold his wake before he passed in order to hear all the wonderful things people were going to say about him and so that he could enjoy his own party! This says a huge amount about a man loved, respected and enjoyed by many.
“This one now, where we sitting now, here we sit on this earth.
Only one earth.
But this story should be spread out.
For anybody.’
shows the true greatness of a man who lived, loved, walked and understood ‘country’; his deep belief that more people need to share, understand and learn about this rich, ancient and spiritual culture which a has been a part of the land, the earth, we now call Australia, for more than 50 thousand years.