Sandra Hocking is a Wiradjiri (pronounced as “wi-ra-jew-ri”) woman from the Kalari (pronounced as “ka-la-ri”) tribe of Forbes in NSW.
After suffering from three strokes, Sandra has had to rely on a wheel chair and a walker in order to move around for the past 11 years.
The opportunity came in early June when a mobile ngankari clinic from South Australia travelled to Western NSW in partnership with the Western NSW Local Health District visiting hospitals in six towns over two weeks.
It was Sandra’s doctor who suggested the alternative treatment which involved two ngankari healers in an hour-long session.
The results were astonishing.
The mobile ngankari clinic was made possible from the advocacy work of traditional Aboriginal medicine by Dr Francesca Panzironi.
The Italian-born academic is leading the way in integrating traditional Aboriginal healing into conventional medical practices.
A former lecturer in international human rights law, Dr Panzironi now heads the Aṉangu Ngangkaṟi Tjutaku (pronounced “ah-nun-goo”, “nun-ka-ri”, “chu-ta-ku”) Aboriginal Corporation, or ANTAC, based in north-western South Australia.
Beyond physical wellbeing, the nganakri also take care of a patient’s mind and spirit.
The ngankari can see a person’s spirit through the healing touch, the pampuni (pronounced “pahm-poo-ni”) and place a misaligned spirit back into the body.
Dr Panzironi says traditional healers have a deeper meaning for Aboriginal and Torrres Strait Islander people.
Debbie Annamari Watson is a Pitjantjatjara (pronounced “pee-chant-jia-ra) woman from Pipalyatjara (pronounced “pee-pal-cha-ra”) in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (pronounced “Ah-nun-gu”, “pee-chanbt-jia-ra”, “yarn-kuni-chat-jia-ra”).
She has been an ngankari healer since she was a child when she acquired her medical knowledge from another realm. Ngankari healers also treat mental illness.
Debbie says invisible forces can sometimes cause mental illness.
Even though ngankari healing is not part of the formal health system but its therapeutic benefits are gaining recognition in the medical community.
In South Australia, ngankari often visit hospital and clinics working alongside doctors to provide complementary treatment for patients.
The ANTAC mobile clinic has also travelled to NSW, Victoria and WA to provide therapies.
Dr Panzironi is proud of the organisation’s achievements in creating an employment pathway for the ngankari in order for people to access this ancient healing practice.
It’s a path Dr Francesca Panzironi never expected to embark on when she came across a report on how Chinese traditional medicine was widely practiced and supported by the government in Australia nearly a decade ago.
