Kinship by Skin Name

KINSHIP BY SKIN NAME


I'm 'Jupurrula' now!
his kin brother-in-law.
Until Darby Jampijimpa
gave us skin-names we
were nobody there.

Before which we
had all gathered round
bemused but culturally
adrift, lost as sheep yet
to be shepherd-named.

And since I've often read
tell of how the blackfellas
mobbed around their first
amicably-contacted whitefellas
clamouring to be named

Whom the whitfellas found
endearing, as if blackfellas
were children, and so called
them Jacky, Billy, Jim Crow
anything to get them to go.

So I find a very great respect
for (one man) who, seeing this fail,
in head pats, wanted no such
token-name, but reciprocity, a part
in a shared future, and so, hand-signed,

(It was 1837) to leader Gellibrand,
indicating, pointing: "No! I want your name."
And yes, 'Black Gellibrand' he became.
But, in conquered Yuendumu, in 1995, I
wanted but did not know how to be clever as he.