Yookapa - Hiki-Lee Kinley ( Langgurr )

I am a Yarwuru (just out of Broome), Bunuba (Fitzroy Crossing) Karrajarri (Bidyadanga), Bard (Lombadina) and Malaysian woman on my mothers side, Maori (Opotiki) on my father’s. I grew up in Broome WA my whole life only ever travelling outside of town for high school or to see family in Bidyadanga, I enjoy painting in my spare time or sitting down listening to my mothers, grandmother’s or aunties stories.

I’d like to one day be able to speak out and teach younger aboriginal girls and boys the effects of drug use/smoking/drinking and how that connects with generational trauma, how we can stop it for future generations and why we as people tend to get addicted easily from childhood to adulthood.I think the more information and understanding of why we do things and what they do allows us to make those informed decisions and hopefully do what’s best for ourselves and for others around us.