Yuendumu...

[Ward P]

Hi!

I'm off to Yuendumu next month to spend a bit of time with the Warlpiri people. I don't even camp, hate being up close and personal to wildlife and love a flushing toilet.

Someone has told me to make sure I buy myself a fly net that goes over my head or I'll regret it. Does anyone else have any ideas about essentials I should be taking to the Northern Terrority to minimise my city boy whimping?

Ta!

Patience . . . plenty of patience. Everything takes a long time to do anything. In their culture they take it as offensive to disagree with you. They will say yes to your face with no intention of following through, because this is polite. It is up to you to understand. So you can organise meetings etc. they will accept and then just not turn up.
If you're there for work, don't expect to achieve anything on your first visit. Just lots of talk.

I don't know about the Warlpiri, but from my time living in Alice Springs, the white people were known as "toyotas" - hard working, reliable, but if they stop working, chuck them away and get another one. You get a bad opinion in Alice, because the place is littered with the bad ones thrown out of the communities.

But the outback is breathtakingly beautifull. Enjoy!
(flynet is a must! - or learn to talk through your clenched teeth)