Returning to the Heart of Who We Are
There is something sacred about standing on Country as the sun sinks low over the horizon, the sky painted in colours that whisper stories older than time. For me, these moments hold a quiet truth: that everything begins and ends with family, culture, and the deep knowing of where you belong.
As a proud Djugun/Jabirr-Jabirr woman from the Kimberley region, I carry with me the saltwater that shaped my childhood and the strength of the family who raised me. My gran, mum, and uncle were my first teachers. They passed down knowledge through dreaming stories, through songs sung softly at dusk, and through everyday moments that quietly grounded me in who I am.
In our culture, your bush name and skin group are not just identifiers, they are a map of belonging. They connect you to generations of lineage, to kinship systems that guide respect, and to the stories that live within Country. They tell you where you come from, who you are responsible to, and how you walk through the world. These cultural obligations remind us that identity is not an individual story; it is a shared one, woven across time.
Family is where that story continues. It is in laughter echoing along the shoreline, in children running barefoot through the sand, and in the gentle silence of being together. It is through family that I feel the pulse of my ancestors, their resilience, their wisdom, their love.
In my own life, I find calm in the simple things: walking nature trails, making art as a form of meditation, spending slow mornings at home with my husband, or simply sitting in stillness and listening to Country breathe. These are my ways of returning to self — sacred pauses in a world that moves too fast. They remind me that well-being is not just about rest; it is about honouring the story of who you are, every single day.
Mi.lang.ka Collective was born from that same spirit, a reflection of inner journeys, quiet strength, and the beauty of healing from within. It speaks to connection, to culture, and to the belief that true strength begins with remembering where you come from and walking proudly in it.
As the sun sets on another day, I am reminded that belonging is not found, it is remembered. It lives within us, carried by the stories of our people, our Country, and our families who guide us home.
