“I strolled past the Bauhinia tree one hot summer’s day a few years ago, and so quickly it caught my gaze and my thoughts. What a place to be and meditate on a quiet afternoon! I think of it often, and have planned to visit many times, but I never get there. Maybe this year I will visit my tree, where I can spend those lonely hours contemplating and praying. I think of the sandy creek bed where it grew from a seed. How did it manage to establish its roots after so many floods threatened to wash away its very foundations?” The Bauhinia Tree, The life of Kankawa Nagarra Olive Knight
[eng] One month ago a blockade was started at Deebing Creek, against housing development between Springfield and Ipswich on sacred and mourning Aboriginal land. As I woke up that morning, I strolled down to the Bunya pine tree on a not-yet-so-hot summer’s day. I stood in front of it and wondered how many people it had sensed throughout its life. I talked to it and asked: what could you tell me about the mission times? A persistent sense of melancholy permeated the peaceful beauty around us. What if this place disappeared? I think of Earth where it grew from a Seed. Will they manage to keep grounded after so many conquests?
[ita] Un mese fa è iniziata una protesta a Deebing Creek, contro lo sviluppo edilizio tra Springfield ed Ipswich su terra aborigena, sacra e di lutto. Appena sveglia quella mattina, son scesa giù verso il pino Bunya in un giorno ancora non così caldo. Mi son piantata di fronte, chiedendomi quante persone avesse percepito durante la sua vita. Gli ho parlato e chiesto di raccontarmi qualcosa dei tempi della missione. Un costante senso di malinconia si percepiva nella bellezza attorno a noi. E se questo luogo scomparisse? Penso alla Terra da cui è cresciuto da un Seme. Riusciranno a restare stabili dopo tante conquiste?
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