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When I went there, I found a book by A. P. Elkin, an anthropologist, Aboriginal Men of High Degree. I thought, "I wonder if I can meet any of these people, if they really exist." They are called Nankari, or shamanistic healers. I have been fortunate enough to have learned a lot from a man who is a Nankari. He says that he thinks that I am a happy man, and he takes me out on different expeditions after plants. I have also seen him working in a shamanistic way on his patients. It is very interesting for me to learn about some of the bush medicines which are still used and are extracted in the traditional way. They are crushed so that the essential essences of the plants give medicines for healing purposes. This is the ayurveda of Australia.
I have been inspired by these people and their culture, and this talk was just to give you some awareness of the situation of these people in Australia. I hope that in an appropriate place you can give your support for their struggle.
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