The fire was burning and the billy hissed steam as Sean
entered Joseph’s clearing. A smoky haze hovered. The ground was freshly raked
and the stumps and logs were neatly arranged around the fire. The waiting wood was
stacked in order. It looked peaceful. Joseph came out of his hut. He smiled a
sad smile. He looked tired.
‘Ah, Sean, my young Maiyarare, it be good to see you.’
‘Ulwai.’ Sean put his arms around Joseph gently. He felt
frail. The old man returned his hug. ‘Dad told me about what happened last
night.’
‘Yeh, I try to talk to them fella, but they no listen. I try
hard but it too difficult for Amerjig to understand Bindaree way.’ The old man
sat down and commenced his tea ceremony. Sean sat beside him.
‘What are you going to do now?’
‘Them fella they bin say I gonna get a house, over there at
Caladonia.’ Joseph gazed into the fire and poked at it with a poker. He looked
at Sean and his face was grim. ‘I no go there. I die over there bit by bit.
That would be the end for me, I cannot live in that place.’
‘You’re going away, aren’t you, Ulwai?’
‘I go away. That peeler man Malone, he gonna come and get me.
I no go with him. He gonna come soon, but I no be here when he come.’
‘It’s not fair, it’s not bloody fair!’
‘Ah, Sean, that not good for you to feel this sadness. We
have some good time this last little bit. It not be long but we have good time
together, it bin good time for this old fella. I learnin big time off you and
maybe you be learnin something off me.’ He handed Sean an Anzac biscuit. ‘I
tell you a story while we sit here this time, maybe it be last time.’ The old
man spread his legs in front of the fire comfortably. ‘Long time back there be
a Bindaree fella called Quarra. He be a bright young man about my size, he very
powerful fella in this place, good hunter and big Wundara, he have much
respect. He could have any woman he choose, as long as it not wrong wertun.’
‘What is wrong wertun, grandfather?’
‘Ah, that a hard one for Amerjig and sometime hard for
blackfella, but it mean that he cannot marry girl who may be related, even
sometime if it be distant related. All these blackfella they have skin, each
group a bit different but it make you into group or skin. Same skin cannot
marry another same skin, and some different skin not be allowed to be
together.’
‘Like we are not
allowed to marry our first cousin and that sort of thing.’
‘That right, Maiyarare. Anyway this Quarra fella he out
huntin and across the river he see a beautiful lubra. She standing by the river
washing and her beauty made Quarra heart start to race and run like he chasing
a Beewee. He stands behind a tree and watch her as she wash, then she go away
and he feels sad. He comes back to that spot every day and sometime he sees her
again, sometime alone and sometime with other lubra. He mad for her. He find
out that that group over there they be other Bindaree but another clan, not
Tamba Tamba. He ask elders if he can go there and visit with them. He tell them
he trade spear, they say this be alright. He go over on his Korong and he visit
with them and trade with them. Those fella make good trade with Quarra, his
mind not on tradin. While he there that lubra, her name Endota, she see this
big tall handsome Wundara and she fall in love with him straight away. Her body
quiver with the excitement of being near him.’
‘But they were cousins or skins. They could not marry, right,
Joseph?’
‘Yeh, that bin right. He find out that she the wrong skin,
they cannot be married, he have to find someone else. They offer a lot of other
girls but Quarra no want them. He so sad he go home and fall into deep worry.
He goes to that place on the river every day and one day she there. He call to
her, she call back, they call out their love for each other and they say lovin
things to each other. They meet there every day. That place, it still be there
just up from Gunpowder Island, it called Endota place after her, it a beautiful
place, but only women allowed to be there.’ Joseph threw a handful of tea
leaves into the small billy and used a forked stick to pick up the larger
billy. He poured the boiling water into the small billy. ‘Quarra no longer
hunts or fights so good. He begin fallin down in eye of Bindaree fella.
Bindaree wonder what happen to this bloke. They follow him down to river one
day and they see him callin out there. The Bindaree they tell fella across the
river that they wrong skins and they stop Endota from going to that place.
Quarra get more lonely and more sad. The old fella they tell him to stop being
sad and not to see this Endota again.’
‘This is a sad story, grandfather.’ Sean took the mug of tea
that Joseph offered.
‘Yeh, it be sad this life sometime. Well this Quarra he get
sadder and sadder. He no longer great man in the Tamba Tamba, he becoming
outsider. He bin get all his things together, spear and woomera, jilly bag and
possum coat, and he go over river and steal this Endota away from her clan and
run away. They only on run for short time, the Bindaree chase them, they cannot
have this fella break the law. But while they on the run they have beautiful
time together, they seem to be made to be together, even though they wrong
skin. But them Bindaree fella they catch up with them and they tell them to
come quietly to be punished. But Quarra he says, “No, I would rather be dead
then to be apart from this Endota girl”. She screams out that she would rather
be dead also than live away from her man, Quarra. The Bindaree attack them.
Quarra, he fight them but there many of them Bindaree fella, and they spear him
many time, but he keep on fighting til he die. They have to spear him. They sad
to do this but it happen like that. They go to take Endota back but she race
over to her man, lying in his blood on the ground, and she fall on his body and
they cannot get her off him. They pull and pull, then she give one last breath
and her spirit be gone and she dies, her heart be broken. The Bindaree clans
are doubly sad now and they all cry and make big moaning and groaning. You can
still see that place up there near Ketanga, it all salty there from their
tears, it still no good that place. Nooralie he lookem down and see them young
people dying and them Bindaree they all crying and he have great pity. He says,
Quarra you will no longer be grey, that what his name mean, but bright, and
Endota, you who covered your man in death, you will be beautiful forever. He
say to the Bindaree they breakem the law but they have great love, a love which
drew me to them. Now I hear you crying and making my land sad, I will put their
spirit together and you will see them but only for a short time. They will be
the there in the morning very bright. That that star what you Amerjig call
Morning Star. Bindaree call it Endota Quarra because it have the brightness of
two stars, they be together so close and for all time, but we only see em short
time in the mornin.’
They sat quietly for some time. Finally Sean said, ‘That is
a very sad. Does it teach us to value our time together, even though it may be
short?’
‘Yeh, I bin thinkin on it. It teach us Bindaree about the
skins. It also teach us that our time together even though it be only short,
can be strong. Some time we not supposed to be together, but it teach us that
although the law be strong, it cannot be stronger then love. Sometime it be a
strong pull between people that draw them together no matter what, like kindred
spirits. Sean, later on you look at that mornin star Endota Quarra and you
think of us. Old Blackman and young Amerjig, we not supposed to be friend but
we joined together by Dingarra, our friendship never be killed or end, it be
bright and live like Endota Quarra. That what we Bindaree say of those who are
strong together, we call them Endota Quarra. No matter it be woman or man, or
man and man, it not a sex thing, it be somethin much stronger. No matter one of
us go, our friendship last for all time. Nooralie, he make it be.’
Tears stung Sean’s eyes. ‘Thank you, grandfather,’ he
whispered. ‘I will always remember the story. This last year with you has been
the best.’
‘It bin pretty good for this old fella too.’
They sat quietly. Sean’s tears fell and mingled with the
grey earth of Warde Yallock.
Excerpt From Kiss of the King Brown
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