Kakadu Calling (8 page)

For the next two weeks, Maidje's mother and the older women taught Maidje and her cousin how to make a large fish trap, baskets and mats. The girls were pleased to be learning these lessons, because they knew it meant they were now considered to be young women.

JANE GARLIL CHRISTOPHERSEN
is an elder of the Bunitj clan in Kakadu National Park.

Jane's stories are about the daily wonders of life in the bush and include messages about respect and the importance of caring for our environment. She believes that it is important for families to pass on knowledge through their children, and that experience is the most valuable way of learning. She hopes that her stories remind parents and children of those small miracles that happen in our world each day.

Her first children's book My Home in Kakadu was a Notable Book in the 2006 Children's Book Council of the Year Awards.