Dee Wano started working at Purple House in 2006. Originally from Queensland, Dee grew up in Alice Springs and spent time living in the home that would one day become Purple House!
Dee shares her memories of the early days of Bush Balms, the privelage of being taught bush medicine knowledge from Elders and the joy of now sharing that knowledge with others:
“In the early days of Bush Balm, it was pretty much grinding up the plants on the cement with a rock or brick, out the back of Flynn Drive Purple House around the fire. We would cook the medicine over the fire. Lots of patients sat around the fire and together we would grind the plants and cook up the medicine over the fire, and just chat to each other. It was good, it was fun, I got to learn a lot of stuff from the old people. It was good going out bush too, especially out with the patients, they would always tell us stories about all the places we’d go to.
We would grind the plants and cook up the medicine over the fire, and just chat to each other. It was good, it was fun, I got to learn a lot of stuff from the old people.
One time, an elder living in Utju (Areyonga) community came and joined us by the fire while we were cooking bush medicine with patients. We were all sitting around the fire, cooking up a feed down near the creek and she had memories of war and was sharing these stories with us. She took off her shirt, and she started doing Inma (dancing). She said the song she was singing was about bush medicine.
When we did a big trip to Kiwirrkurra. We went to Yuendumu, Mt Liebig, Kintore and Kiwirrkurra. Going out there, catching up with a lot of patients, hanging out with all the kids in community and making bush medicine. When we were at Yuendumu we went walking up the hills with some of the rangers, and they showed us this lovely spot where there was lemongrass, and it was the best lemongrass I’d ever smelt. Almost like a strong ginger and lemon smell. Then we took it back to Yuendumu and we cooked it up with eucalyptus leaves and made this lovely bush medicine with it. It was the best smell I’d ever smelt.”
“There was no [Bush Balm] shop back then. We started mostly just going to markets and doing stalls initially. The response from customers was really positive. The balms were packaged in little glass jars. We put raffia string around it with a swing tag with our information on it. The worst part was packaging those things up, individually tying them all was annoying!
During COVID19 we moved over to East Side. It was unrenovated at the time, we just had a burner and the electric grinder, that was it. The house was renovated in around 2021, then we moved into the space that we’re still in today. That’s when the doors opened like a normal shop.
Once I started at Bush Balms, every time I left town I always came back here. I never went anywhere else. I don’t like desk jobs. Sometimes I would leave just needing a break from town. But I would always come back to Bush Balm. I just like being here. I feel comfortable here. I like the people, I like the vibes, I like how flexible Purple House is when I’m working. I’m able to bring in family. Always doing different things all the time. It’s a good place to work, it’s fun and it’s exciting.”
“It’s probably the best part, you know, to get this knowledge from other people who are not from my family or anything like that. They’re giving us their knowledge. It’s a privilege to learn this stuff. We get to learn, we taught Tamara how to do it, and we pass it on. And we know that it’s helping the patients, and it helps their spirit too; it’s hard to explain.
Sharing bush medicine with non-Indigenous people too. I think it’s important to share our culture with them, because we can’t move forward unless we understand each other. I think Bush balm has an impact on non-Indigenous people, I feel like they’re open to listening and learning when they’re here, always asking questions especially in demos.
It’s important to share our culture with them [non-Indigenous people], because we can’t move forward unless we understand each other.
I hope it stays like this; I like it not too big. For the sake of the plants too! I feel more connected to my culture making bush medicine. If I wasn’t making bush medicine at Purple House, I actually don’t see myself doing anything else.”
