IN BRIEF
- Almost four months after the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, the community has gathered for her funeral service.
- The Warlpiri girl has been described as a beautiful "little princess" who loved cuddling puppies, the colour pink and music.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story includes the name and image of an Indigenous person who has passed away.
This article may be distressing to some readers.
Alice Springs is known as the Red Centre of Australia but on 15 August, the community donned pink for the funeral of five-year-old Warlpiri girl, Kumanjayi Little Baby.
Warlpiri Elder and family spokesperson Robin Granites said pink was her favourite colour — it "reminds us of the clothes she used to wear".
"And the times when we would go in the evening, you see the sunset and even the early morning, you see the pink colour of clouds and that ... is a really good colour for us," Granites said ahead of the funeral.
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Kumanjayi Little Baby's body was found on 30 April, after she went missing from Old Timers town camp, south of Alice Springs. Her disappearance sparked a five-day search, described as one of the largest search efforts in Northern Territory history.
47-year-old Jefferson Lewis has since been charged with her alleged murder and two other offences that cannot be published for legal reasons.
Pastor Rejeili Paulo-Smith spoke on behalf of Kumanjayi Little Baby's mother at the funeral service.
She requested that her daughter be remembered, "for who she was, not simply for the tragedy of how her life ended".
"Kumanjayi wasn't simply a little girl who was known by the community. She was Mum's baby too. She was a little girl whose presence filled their home and whose absence has left an enormous space," Paulo-Smith said.
Jintangka: 'We're all in one'
It's been almost four months since the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby. During this time, her family and Indigenous communities have engaged in the grieving period and mourning process known as Sorry Business.
In recent months, Paulo-Smith said the community had felt "both broken and grateful".
"Broken because a precious little life has been taken from us far too soon, yet grateful because Kumanjayi Little Baby was here. She was known, she was loved, she mattered," she said.
The week following Kumanjayi Little Baby's death, thousands of Australians gathered at nationwide candlelight vigils.
At a local vigil in Alice Springs, 89-year-old Maya Cifali told NITV News the outpouring of community spirit was unlike anything she had ever seen.
"It is the first time that such a community spirit is felt for all of us," Cifali said.
She has lived in Alice Springs for around 40 years.
Granites also believes the local community has displayed the Warlpiri concept of Jintangka; "which means we're all in one, everyone together".
At the funeral, he took the opportunity to thank Australians and people overseas for rallying behind his family during and in the months following the search for Kumanjayi Little Baby.
"That really helped us during those sad days, those unforgettable days," Granites said.
"We've done everything we can to help each other, so we should be all proud of each other and say thank you."
A memorial service was held for Kumanjayi Little Baby on 14 August.
Following public funeral proceedings on 15 August, there was also an intimate burial service.
'Forever five, forever young'
Liberal senator and Kumanjayi Little Baby's family member Jacinta Nampajinpa Price was in attendance at the funeral.
SBS News can confirm Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy, Sue-Anne Hunter, the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People and Katie Kiss, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, attended the funeral.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously visited Alice Springs, where he described Kumanjayi Little Baby as a "cherished" child and offered his condolences to her grieving family.
"It's important to be able to say to the family that the nation stands with them in their grief," Albanese said in May.
There was a sombre atmosphere at Kumanjayi Little Baby's funeral, with speeches punctuated by cries from the crowd. Hundreds of people visited to pay their respects, with attendees spilling beyond the funeral Chapel and onto the grass lawn.
Kumanjayi Little Baby was remembered as a "beautiful", "loved" and "treasured" child who brought joy to her family. She loved rainbows, the colour pink, music and cuddling puppies.
She was described as her mother's "little princess", who will be remembered as "forever five, forever young".
Speaking on behalf of Kumanjayi Little Baby's mother, Paulo-Smith said, "Kumanjayi's earthly life was short, but her life was not without meaning".
"As Mum has said, we look to the night sky and remember the brightest star. Not because the star replaces you but because it reminds us to lift our eyes beyond what we can see."
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