RIVER water has, for eons, been life to the Aboriginal people of the country where Namatjira Avenue now winds it's way through the dust east of Dareton.
That is still true, but of course much of everything else has changed.
A stunning artwork officially unveiled at the Indigenous settlement this week looks back to an ancient way of life on river country.
It's several kilometres from the Murray River and even further from the Darling-Baaka but, wrapping the cold, sterile steel of huge storage tanks in warm colours and culture, it symbolises a people's connection to water in a way that is as powerful as it is proud.
The tanks are part of a $3 million upgrade to the raw water supply to people at New Merinee-Namatjira Avenue and have been funded by the NSW Planning and Environment Department with support from the Dareton Local Aboriginal Land Council, Wentworth Shire Council and NSW Public Works.
The artwork, however, was designed by Namatjira community member John Mitchell, who worked with Andi Mether, Jenny McCraken, Lorraine Mitchell and Leo Uribe to create it and a smaller pumphouse mural celebrating local Aboriginal sporting heroes Jamie Lawson, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (both AFL players) and martial arts champion Shantelle Thompson
Maura/Barkindji man Mr Mitchell, better known locally as Johnno, said at the unveiling that the gathering depicted in The Family Hunt, a celebration of land and water and a respectful tribute to tribal elders, was all about people coming together by the water.
It depicts women cooking fish over a fire while men net the river, and images of eagles are included in totemic significance.
Pam Handy, the chief executive of the Dareton Local Aboriginal Land Council and a community leader, said the art made an important community statement.
"Water is life to First Nations communities and Aboriginal people who nurtured the waterways and used water to sustain social culture," she said.
"Our river story tells a tale of creation and our connection to the river according to the Barkindji people.
"Without the water, there would be no one and there would be nothing.
"It's the water that binds us all."
Wentworth Shire Deputy Mayor Daniel Linklater likened the visual appeal of the artwork to silo art and said that "it will be a tourism drawcard".
"Showcasing local Aboriginal art and Indigenous culture is important, and further enhances the progress of reconciliation within our communities," he said.
