Mangkajakurra Jila Jumu, 45/13

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I was born at a jumu [soak water] called Payinjarra in the Great Sandy Desert. I walked out from the desertwith my husband when I was a young girl. I le􀅌 my mother and brother Kumanjayi [deceased] Pijaju behindat Japingka. My husband had two wives, my older sister and myself. These two passed away a long timeago, here in the river country at Brooking Springs Station.When we le􀅌 the desert we walked for a long time, it was a long way. We were walking and hunting. Wekilled pussycat and wirlka [sand goanna] for food but no kangaroo. I was walking, all the time worryingabout my mother but I kept going. My husband and my sister were both cheeky, they hit me for no reason.I was crying for my mother. I got away from them once, they were too cheeky to me and telling me, “comeon you have to go”. I told them, “No, I want to go back to my mother”. They kept telling me “No, you haveto keep going”.I was frightened but I came out at Old Bililluna. There were planes landing right there, I was frightened ofthat plane. From there, all of us kids went walking and looking at the plane that had landed. I didn’t knowany English, I just looked at the kartiya [Europeans]. We kept going and we saw kartiya ge􀆫ng water in abucket from a well. This was new to me too, it was the ?rst time I had seen thisWe had no shoes, we were wearing yakapiri [old people long ago in the desert they used to make sandalsto protect feet from the hot ground]. I talked only Juwaliny when I came but today I speak Juwaliny,Walmajarri, Kriol and English. A􀅌er that, a motor car came from Moola Bulla to Old Bililluna and took us toMoola Bulla. We came out there, frightened in the car, we hadn’t seen one before. We didn’t know anyonethere either. I met Munmurria Daisy Andrews there and her first son. I didn’t know her before then.