The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council Aboriginal Corporation has given us the privilege to read about their traditional healers, ngangkari.
These highly skilled women and men describe to us how they work with the human spirit, what happens to the spirit when a person is ill, and how they provide healing. They also discuss supporting the dying, and what happens to the spirit when a person passes away.
It is a deeply moving book, reminding us how little Western culture understands or values a person's spiritual health, and the importance of the spirit for the mind and body.
That ngangkari are working increasingly with white doctors is a promising development. Continued support for ngangkari, and preservation of their skills and traditions, is essential.