A time for grieving, not making trouble: Kumanjayi Little Baby’s grandfather calls for calm
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story includes the name an Indigenous person who has passed away.
This story may be distressing to some readers.
A spokesperson from the family of Kumanjayi Little Baby has appealed for calm across Central Australia following unrest in Alice Springs on Thursday.
“It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and to have a space and a time for grieving and remembering of her, and to time that we lost,” Warlpiri Elder Robin Granites, who identifies as the child’s grandfather, told NITV News in an interview on Saturday.
“Everyone is feeling very upset emotionally, emotions are very high — I understand that … We are feeling angry and hurt at what has happened,” Granites said.
However, now was not the time “to be a hero on social media or to make trouble”, he said, adding that people from communities around Alice Springs should travel to the town for Sorry Business but “not for anything else”.
He said he hoped that people would respect the family’s wishes for Sorry Business — a period of collective mourning in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities — to remain small and carried out in cooperation with the family.
He said a public vigil would be held on Thursday at Alice Spring’s Anzac Oval and members of the public would be welcome to attend that event.
Readers seeking support can ring Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, visit lifeline.org.au. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can contact 13YARN on 13 92 76, Brother to Brother on 1800 435 799, or Yarning SafeNStrong on 1800 959 563.
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