It was to here, Papunya, once a gentle glade of mulga trees, that around 1000 of Australia's last nomadic Aborigines were taken in the early 1960s to absorb white ways and ease their intended assimilation into modern Australia.
The heavy failures that flowed - here and elsewhere - are well known: constant unrest, breakdown of social order, chronic health problems, alcohol and substance abuse. It was the latter that led me down the 200km dirt track laced with wrecked cars and tossed liquor bottles to Papunya two decades ago, to the young petrol sniffers who were then dying in their scores across the desert.
Arriving at dusk, I was locked in a shed by the white boss, who would take me at dawn to where blazed-out kids would be finishing a night's petrol sniffing in the bush. The forlornness of my assignment built as I lay in the desert, cold under a grubby blanket, listening to a drunken fight.
Denne historien er fra September 23-29 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra September 23-29 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.