First Nation Encounters
Djidi Djidi Gabrielle Pither
‘Chitty chitty…chitty chitty…chitty chitty.’ ‘Gabby! Flat white with honey!’ ‘Close to Me’ by The Cure drifts through the speakers as the coffee grinder whirrs. But all I hear is incessant chatter. The same succession of high-pitched whistling I’d been badgered by the last two Thursday mornings I was early enough for class to order a coffee. ‘Chitty chitty…chitty chitty…chitty chitty.’ What is he saying? The way he so determinedly flits from side to side – it must be urgent. Tail wagging, just inches from me on the table, making abstract patterns around my laptop. Djidi Djidi, or Chitty-Chitty, is the Noongar name for the Willy Wagtail, and according to Aboriginal dreamtime Chitty-Chitty is notorious for gossiping – a known eavesdropper (Collard, 2009). It’s like he can sense my curiosity. His little white eyebrows raised in stark contrast to his glossy black feathers, as if to say: ‘What do you know of my people?’ ‘What do you know of this country you call home?’ The chatter stays with me all the way to the gallery. My gaze lands on the distinctive landscapes of the Australian bush. The Carrolup exhibition is on permanent display at the John Curtin Gallery. The vivid colours, bold lines, and Australian scenes are comfortingly familiar to me, the style so like the
19
