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Red

Blackfellows Hands Trail, Newnes State Forest

We've found the hands at last, stenciled on the walls of the rock overhangs by the Wiradjuri people in red and white ochre, many thousands of years before we too have come to enjoy this special place.

Today's is theme day for the City Daily Community on the theme of Red. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Words to walk with:
We Are Going by Oodgeroo Noonuccal
They came in to the little town
A semi-naked band subdued and silent
All that remained of their tribe.
They came here to the place of their old bora ground
Where now the many white men hurry about like ants.
Notice of the estate agent reads: 'Rubbish May Be Tipped Here'.
Now it half covers the traces of the old bora ring.
'We are as strangers here now, but the white tribe are the strangers.
We belong here, we are of the old ways.
We are the corroboree and the bora ground,
We are the old ceremonies, the laws of the elders.
We are the wonder tales of Dream Time, the tribal legends told.
We are the past, the hunts and the laughing games, the wandering camp fires.
We are the lightening bolt over Gaphembah Hill
Quick and terrible,
And the Thunderer after him, that loud fellow.
We are the quiet daybreak paling the dark lagoon.
We are the shadow-ghosts creeping back as the camp fires burn low.
We are nature and the past, all the old ways
Gone now and scattered.
The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place.
The bora ring is gone.
The corroboree is gone.
And we are going.'

Comments

  1. When I look at the DCPB Theme Day archive for today I don't see your post. I don't see mine either, just a single post from Sydney. What's up?

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  2. I really like the photos you posted and the poem was a perfect match.

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  3. This place was magical. Apart from the hand prints I recall there were remnants of tools as well. The water source wasn't too far away so I can see why it was a special place for the locals.

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  4. When I posted my comment last night I failed to say how amazing to see those hand prints from the distant past. They connect us to those people in a very personal way.gramsy

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  5. These hand thing is amazing! I've seen it several times on documentaries but I don't know if these are the only ones in Australia. Wonderful entry on the theme?

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  6. Joan Elizabeth, please forgive me but I'm very 'clumsy' with the keyboard today! I meant 'This hand thing' (not these) and I didn't want to put a question mark in the end... :-)

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  7. Hey JM, I am a master at mistyping your typos were nothing compared to mine. There are many locations where aboriginal hand paintings and other paintings can be found but I personally have not seen a lot of them. This is actually a rather poor and damaged example, I hope one day to see more.

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  8. Love to view your posts. Thank you for sharing. The hands are wonderful. They remind me of the Anasazi Indians - here in the south west of the US. The importance of hands and their markings. On opposite sides of the world. The basics of people. Hands. And hearts. And, the color red, of course.

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  9. Wow, that sent a shiver down my spine. What a great photo!

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