AT THE SIGHT of the pegs, Buddy’s sore foot and the clash with Michael and Pony are quickly forgotten as the kids’ thoughts turn to their Nyami Buster. They are all grandnieces and nephews of Buster and his sister Bella. Broome style, the kids call him nyami and her mimi, same as grandpa and grandma. They call Bella’s husband Micky nyami too.
Buster Jirroo is the lawman who must look after Eagle Beach. The Jirroo clan are the main custodians of the ancient dreaming of Jiir the sea eagle and Manburr the ghost crab, and of the sacred songs that tell the story of them bringing thunder and lightning, and the wet season storms that nourish the country. Jiir, the man of the dreaming time who became a sea eagle, still lives at the place that carries his name, on the headland that marks the south end of the beach.
Janey sends Tich down to the beach to get old Micky, while the rest of them scout the bush for more pegs. When he arrives, Micky is puffing hard, his big belly bulging over his raggedy shorts, rising and falling.
‘What’s all this humbug? Man’s got a salmon runnin’ when this little scamp charges up yellin’ at me to come quick. I’ll ‘ have yer hides if this is all for nothin’. I’m too old —’
Dancer interrupts, thrusting the surveyor’s peg at him. ‘You’ve got to see this Nyami.’
Janey takes Micky’s hand and they all set off into the scrub, with Buddy limping along in the rear. They follow a straight line, from one white-tipped peg to the next, until they emerge into more lightly wooded country. They come to a halt at the crest of a low rise, beside a peg with a twist of pink tape fluttering from it.
Dancer points at the line of pegs heading towards the jumble of rocks on the headland. ‘Look Nyami, they’re heading straight for Jiir Rock.’
‘What are they for?’ asks Tich.
‘That’s what we better find out,’ Janey answers.
Micky tugs at his whiskers, pulling down the frown lines that are creasing his forehead. ‘Jiir,’ he murmurs. ‘Come on you lot. We’ve got to get home.’
Micky shudders the ute to a halt outside the big house on Jirroo Corner. As the kids jump out and charge down the driveway they can hear the Dreamers rehearsing.
The Dreamers are the four Jirroo brothers.
The oldest brother Eddie plays rhythm guitar. He is Janey’s dad.
‘Cowboy’ Col, who never performs without his black Akubra, is on drums. He is Jimmy and Tich’s dad.
Little Joe, the baby brother, plays lead guitar and sings. He is Jimmy’s hero; music is his true love.
Dancer and Buddy’s dad, Andy, is the bass player. But he’s not here for the rehearsal. He’s driving a cattle truck out on the dirt roads that link the million-acre Kimberley cattle stations. Everyone’s hoping he’ll be back in time for tomorrow night’s gig.
The huge backyard on the double-sized corner block with its big shady mango trees has always been full of music. The Dreamers have been playing covers for the best part of twenty years — they’re a Broome institution. Little Joe’s been trying for years to get them to play some original music, but the others won’t risk it.
Eddie puts every cent he makes from the band into Janey’s education fund. He and Ally are hoping Janey will get a scholarship to St Brigid’s in Perth, but if not, they intend to scrape together the money to send her anyway. Andy puts everything he can spare into paying off his loans. Keep the fun music for the backyard parties, they tell Little Joe.
The four Jirroo boys grew up in the big house. Col still lives in the house, with his Irish wife Mary, and Tich and Jimmy. Dancer and Buddy share it too, and Andy when he’s in town. Eddie built the smaller house on the other side of the driveway when he and Ally got married and Janey was on the way.
Bella and Micky live in the little old place in the back corner of the block, with its own yard screened off by bougainvillea. Bella is auntie for the Jirroo brothers. Her big brother Buster spends a lot of time at Jirroo Corner, but his place is on the reserve at the top of the hill, not far away.
The kids rush into the backyard, bursting with their news.
‘Slow down, slow down,’ says Eddie. ‘One at a time.’
Then Micky arrives. He goes straight to Little Joe and thrusts the keys at him. ‘We’ve got to go see Buster.’
Little Joe unslings his guitar, asking, ‘What’s going on?’
Dancer and Janey begin to speak at the same time, but Janey takes over. ‘We were chasing Michael and Pony through the bush at the back of the dunes. Buddy tripped on this surveyor’s peg. We checked it all out. There’s this long line of them, like they’re marking a road or something. And they’re going straight towards Jiir Rock.’
‘To Jiir!’ Little Joe hands his guitar to Jimmy and turns to Micky. ‘Let’s go then.’
Tich leaves the others sitting round the big table in the backyard. She takes one of the bags of magabalas and crosses the yard to the gap in the bougainvilleas, looking for Mimi Bella.
Bella is sitting in the shade of a mango tree, absorbed in polishing the pendant that is her greatest treasure. Sometimes she wears it to be seen, on its plain silver chain. More often it is stowed inside the soft leather pouch that hangs from a thong round her neck.
It is only when Tich reaches the table that Bella hears her. She snatches up the pendant and begin stuffing it into the pouch, but relaxes when she sees who it is. ‘It’s you Tich. Have a good day darlin’?’
Tich nods. ‘Look what we got for you Mimi.’
Bella smiles, and smacks her lips as she begins to inspect the fruit. Tich puts on her pleading face. ‘Can I look at your diamond Mimi? Please? I love it so much.’
‘As a special treat. Since you’ve brought me some magabalas.’
‘Janey’s got another bag.’
‘You’re good to your old granny, you girls,’ Bella beams as she hands over the pendant.
‘Dancer and Buddy helped too. We had a great big pile, but that Michael Jordan was humbugging us; he kicked them everywhere. He reckons they’re rubbish tucker.’
Bella clucks her disapproval as she pops a magabala into her mouth. ‘He’s a silly boy that one. I’ll have to tell his Mimi Rosa to sort him out.’ But Tich isn’t listening. She is turning the pendant around in her hands. It is a piece of shell, with a strange pattern engraved into the mother of pearl. Set into the shell above the engraving, fixed with a dab of spinifex resin, is a small diamond.
Tich touches the diamond lightly, then holds the pendant up by its chain and watches it twirl. She looks up at Bella, who is onto her second magabala. ‘We found all these surfer’s pegs at the beach, near Jiir Rock.’
Bella looks at her, puzzled. ‘Surfer’s pegs?’
When Janey comes over she explains the ‘surfer’s pegs’ to Bella, then asks, ‘What do you know about Jiir Rock, Mimi?’
Bella eyes Janey thoughtfully. ‘Not much more than you probably. It’s the dreamin’ place for Jiir. It’s got more story — for Jiir, and Manburr the crab, who lives up the coast near Garnet Bay. All that story belongin’ to Buster. But that’s men’s business. Women and kids can’t go there.’
‘I know.’ Janey’s frustration shows in her reply. Bella’s tone is gentle. ‘That’s our way Janey. Blackfeller way. We women got some secrets too, you know.’ Janey is about to ask more when Tich interrupts. ‘I wish I could have this when you die, Mimi.’
‘Tich!’ Janey exclaims. Bella smothers a laugh. ‘When I die!’ She reaches over and takes Tich’s face in her hands and gives her a shake. ‘I’ve told you before, little one, it goes to Janey. It’ll pass down through the women’s line.’
‘But I’m a woman too,’ Tich says with a pout.
This draws another laugh from Bella and a derisive snort from Janey. ‘Indeed you are a woman, but just a wee one yet, as your mum would say. Janey’s the oldest with Jirroo blood in her after me. That’s why it will go to her. I’ve got no kids of my own, and my little sister Maisie, bless her soul, only turned out your dad and all those other useless boys.’
Mary’s voice rings out across the yard, calling Tich home. Bella holds out her hand for the pendant. ‘Go on now, your mum’s callin’.’
Tich still looks put out as she gets up. Bella makes an offering. ‘I might let you wear it now and then, if you promise to be very careful with it.’
Tich’s eyes light up and she gives Bella a hug and a kiss before she trots off. Bella turns to Janey and takes her hand. ‘Don’t you go worryin’ yourself about Jiir before there’s any need. Buster’ll check it out. He’ll let us know what’s goin’ on.’ She changes the subject. ‘Hey, how’s the music goin’?’
This gets a smile. ‘Good, Mimi. Me and Jimmy were going great today.’