Healers of the desert

The Aboriginal healers of the Western Desert in Central Australia are called ngangkari and, in some places, these healers are increasingly being brought into Western health settings to work alongside doctors. Their skills come from a lifetime of immersion in cultural ways of being and they often talk about being taught all they know by their grandparents. Healing techniques involve rubbing and massaging to release ‘blockages’ from the body and using herbal tinctures and ointments. There is also an understanding or belief that the spirit can become dislodged through trauma, causing mental and physical disorders. The ngangkari’s work includes bringing the spirit back into place, to promote wellbeing. ‘We bring the spirit back into place’ Naomi Kantjuriny, a ngangkari, says: ‘Depressed people can feel a lot better within themselves after a ngangkari treatment. That’s one of…