“We want to contribute to change and be heard” - Sheila White, Message Stick Member, Strong Women for Healthy Country Network
March 7th, 2024
Darwin
Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation
My name is Sheila White. I’m a 49-year-old proud Malak Malak woman from Daly River in the Northern Territory. I have six siblings, one brother and five sisters. Sisters are the best invention ever. I am also a proud mother of four sons and have three beautiful grandchildren.
I’ve lived most of my life in Bagot Community on Larrakia Country in Darwin. The Bagot Aboriginal Reserve is one of the oldest town camps here in Darwin. I’ve just moved back last year and joined the staff team at the Strong Women for Healthy Country Network after participating in this space and feeling it grow stronger over the past 5 years. Our support network now includes rangers, support workers, healers, artists and community workers. Everyone has their own role to play.
The Strong Women for Healthy Country Network started out in 2019. At the time I had only just started working as a ranger. Only 70 women were invited to the first Forum, but it ended up being 150. That was a big mob! It started out with Aunty Annette Miller, the kindest and humblest teacher. Women shared about what they do on Country, across the Northern Territory. I didn’t know there would be women rangers from everywhere. We wanted to do it our way, with yarning circles, sharing stories, and people telling their stories through their art. It helped us make sense of our world and how we want to do things differently. This forum was my first impression of the Strong Women for Healthy Country Network.
I love the Forums, they are so good! They are a safe space for women caring for Country to celebrate the positive stories and the role we play in our communities. It’s important for women to be involved in ranger work and caring for Country. Because we are in this space, we are humble and kind and guide with love. That’s just what we do as women. Even non-Indigenous women come and support us with support and compassion - it’s just in our nature as women.
The way we see Country is maybe different to how our non-Indigenous brothers and sisters see it.
We only take what we need. To me, I see that we are the protectors of our Country and we have cultural obligations to the Country for preservation and wellbeing. It continues to sustain us. This is the message we try to send to our families. For me, there’s cultural significance in everything, including the little details. A beautiful flower or tree has much bigger significance to that space and part of Country. It might help you know your boundaries and where you are. We hold responsibility to transfer cultural knowledge and teach the next generation.
Conservation work and being a ranger is a male-dominated space, and it always has been. Women don’t have the same stuff men do. There are not enough safe spaces for women. Some women don’t even have access to a ranger base! It can be hard to have the courage to say “Actually, I don’t feel alright with this”. And when we do, our managers don’t always respond. They often don’t make room in their policies and processes for our own cultural protocols and our values. That is why we are all working to stand up for each other as a support network.
Members hold hands at the 2022 Forum
One moment that really stood out for me during the growth of the network, was how Elders made a platform for all the women to lead together. We stood in a circle and Annette spoke on the mic and said that people could hold hands if they wanted to be part of our Network - and everyone held hands. Then they said, if someone wanted to be a leader as a Message Stick member, then take a step forward. Individuals made that decision for themselves, and we all cheered them on. Now Message Sticks meet regularly to make decisions for our Network.
We’re all in this together, and we’re all committed to supporting each other. Advocating and collaborating and communicating as a network of strong women.
We now have a strategy and we want to become our own independent organisation to do more training, exchanges and provide services that women need so they can be strong and affect real change. Because strong women means healthy Country. We also have really cool t-shirts!
There’s also a national Network and Forum that’s in the works, which is really exciting. We want to be able to amplify our voices, not just that one person talking, but making change for all First Nations people and become many voices talking about all the good things. Everyone has a role to play. It gives me hope that we have set this up for my grandchildren to continue and be changemakers for women. We hold responsibility for the next generation in what we do now.
We want to contribute to change and be heard.
Join us on this mission by contacting mail@kkt.org.au or donating directly through our website.
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