It is one of the most emotionally stirring experiences I’ve had anywhere. We are gathered on the banks of the Chamberlain River in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia in the garden of El Questro homestead, the famed cattle property that is now one of Australia’s most celebrated luxury lodges. Profound: Mary O’Reeri tells her story.
Over two hours, proud Ngarinyin woman Mary O’Reeri, her husband, Nelson, and daughter Shonelle captivate us with stories, music, and smoking and cleansing ceremonies significant to the Wanjina Wungurr Wilinggin people, traditional owners of the land. I’ve taken part in a few Indigenous experiences over the years, but this is by far the most profound. Mary and Shonelle’s storytelling is thrilling, uplifting and wrenching.
Injiid Marlabu Calls Us is exclusive to El Questro. It’s the story of Mary’s people, who lived on this country for thousands of years before the cattle barons came in the late 19th century. Mary’s talk is a tribute to her grandmother, Injiid, who lived a nomadic life, walking along the river when there were no roads, giving birth on the riverbank, and navigating her journeys by the stars.
Being guided back to our connection to the land can be an overwhelming emotional experience. Injiid gave birth to 15 children on the land (only her four youngest were born in a hospital). In the early 1900s, she and her sister witnessed the murder of their father by a pastoralist and were taken to Perth to give evidenc.
