For this group of women, red ochre is the first step in healing.
It’s rubbed on the patient’s ailment for protection before they start to sing.
"They come to us ladies and we sing that healing song to them,” one of the women said.
“We put the red ochre on them first to protect them, because the women's song is so strong.
"And after that, they feel real good. They feel settled and calm and everything."
The women are part of the Jalngangurru Healing, a trial program connecting patients in the Kimberley with male and female cultural healers.
It targets clients in Fitzroy Crossing, Derby and surrounding communities, supported by the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre and Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation with federal funding.
The group of cultural healers, whose real names can't be used for cultural reasons, have seen plenty of pain, both physical and spiritual, in those seeking their help.
"We see their eyes when they come to us. We see the eyes, and the eyes tell us that person is sick," they said.
"When they come to us, we ask them what's wrong ... talk and have a yarn.
"We make them feel calm. Make them feel like they're loved."
Cultural healers from Jalngangurru Healing treat a patient’s knee by rubbing in red ochre and singing healing songs in Fitzroy Crossing. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright
National need for 'life-changing' help
The demand for healing services is skyrocketing across the country.
"It went active on social media and it just went mad," Emama Nguda chief executive Ben Burton told AAP at a healer's camp in Fitzroy Crossing.
"There were people from all over Australia sending messages trying to access help ... people who are just desperate, in pain and suffering from mental health, loss after loss after loss and depression.
"All the feedback so far from people is it's just life-changing."
Referrals are sent to the program's healing co-ordinator, who then liaises with cultural advisors.
The Elders decide whether healing should be offered, who should be involved and what services will be provided.
"Because they know the families, they know if we're stepping in the middle of something ... that we shouldn't be," Mr Burton said.
"That's how we de-risk our program. We rely on the expertise of our Old People."
Healing the Kimberley
Traditional healing has long been practised by Aboriginal people in the Kimberley but mostly accessed through family connections.
Making it more widely accessible through Jalngangurru Healing is considered an important step towards addressing mental health issues, grief and trauma in the region.
"A lot of people lost that connection, due to missions and religion and a whole range of things. This was about levelling the playing field," Mr Burton said.
"For a lot of people, sometimes the symptoms don't fit in mainstream psychology and medicine.
"Our cultural advisors are able to look into that stuff in a different way and resolve those issues."
The vast Kimberley region is home to about 30 language groups, with unique cultural practices and heritage dating back more than 50,000 years.
Traditional healing has been used across the Kimberley for thousands of years, and many hope the practice can shift into mainstream. Credit: Steve Waters/Getty Images
An inquest in 2019 cited intergenerational trauma as a factor in the deaths of 13 young people over a three-and-a-half year period.
Coroner Ros Fogliani found 12 of the youths, including a 10-year-old girl, died by suicide. She made an open finding in one case.
Ms Fogliani made 42 recommendations, including that there be funding for the development of cultural healing projects in the Kimberley.
"Cultural healing programs are crucial to the maintenance of cultural continuity for Aboriginal people, which is one of the protective factors that fosters self-continuity," she wrote.
In a report last year outlining its progress, the state government said it had accepted the coroner's recommendation but not commenced action.
More funding needed
Jalngangurru Healing has secured federal government funding through the WA Primary Health Alliance as part of the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Trial.
It had been due to expire at the end of 2022 but has been extended to June 30 next year.
The program's managers say it is barely enough to pay the healers, cover staffing costs and host workshops, including transport for both the Elders and their carers.
"We just don't have that certainty, so we're always thinking we're about to end and we've got to find other funding," Jalngangurru Healing co-ordinator Tammy Solonec said.
"The healers are not wealthy people. And you can't expect people to work for free.
“The more that this is funded, the more meaningful employment options we create for... Aboriginal people."
Tammy Solonec, Jalngangurru Healing Coordinator next to the Fitzroy River in Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright
"An evaluation report provided to the department showed cultural elements, solutions and activities, such as Jalngangurru Healing, can be effective but take time to establish and to reach the target community," a spokeswoman said.
"We are cognisant of the profound challenges faced by Kimberley communities, particularly the trauma and grief due to the tragic loss of so many young people."
The healers hope to one day have their own building where they can work in privacy, similar to the Akeyulerre centre which hosts Arrernte healers in Alice Springs.
Jalngangurru Healing is eyeing corporate and philanthropic contributions, having so far been unsuccessful in seeking funding from WA's Mental Health Commission.
"The WA government is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and communities to improve the lives and wellbeing of Aboriginal people," a state government spokeswoman said.
"Any application for funding via the Mental Health Commission would be considered on its merits and in line with usual tender and unsolicited funding application processes."
The commission said it had awarded grants earlier this year to 13 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and non-profits for initiatives supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of young Indigenous people.
The next generation of healers
As the trial progresses, a key aim of Jalngangurru Healing is safeguarding and passing on cultural knowledge to future generations.
The co-ordinators are wary of overburdening the small group of healers.
"A lot of the knowledge is with the Elders," Ms Solonec said.
"We want to be able to do that succession planning and bring through young people but again, that's more money and time and effort."
For young people struggling with mental health problems, the program also provides an opportunity to better connect them with their culture.
A cultural healer from Jalngangurru Healing shows their hands in Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright
