This is an excerpt from episode 84 featuring the last 20 minutes or so of my conversation with Dr Anne Poelina. We pick up the conversation with Anne’s powerful articulation of a way to proceed with planning in the Kimberley, on the back of an existing federal government bioregional framework. We go on to talk more about the incredible new film The Serpent’s Tale, leading to Anne’s heart-rending plea for more of us to correspond with the West Australian government. She goes on to suggest how.

And Anne's story of the blind Aboriginal elder who sang his way to Uluru – 6 times! – offers a touchstone for the profound nature of the Songlines, and of so much what we stand to gain together, by standing together now. A true circular economy, as elder Mary Graham puts it - in relationship with everything.

Anne often talks about ‘waking up the snake’ – the consciousness of the people. We close with me asking her whether she thinks this is happening.

Title slide: Martuwarra (pic: Mark Jones).

Music:
Liyan, by Anne’s son Mark Coles-Smith, composing as Kalaji (joined by Ursula Yovich).

Find more:
You can hear the rest of our conversation in the main episode, Regenerative Songlines: Film, First Law & the Martuwarra Fitzroy River

You can see a few terrific photographs on that episode web page too.

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84 Excerpt. Is the Snake Waking? With Dr Anne Poelina