Under gumtrees on Nyikina country in Western Australia's West Kimberley, the healing songs of elders singing rings out into the silent afternoon air.
Painted red with ochre, made of powdered clay from the landscape, the group has gathered in the name of repair and recovery.
The ancient ritual, performed by the traditional Aboriginal healing group Jalngangurru, involves physical touch to help manage conditions from headaches to joint pain.
Beth — whose name has been changed for cultural reasons — is one of the healers.
"We put ochre on them and while we do that we sing healing songs," she said.
"We sing every part we touch — head, knees, foot, stomach."
Beth said the rituals, which have been passed down through the generations, aimed to heal spiritual and physical ailments.
"It's from the ground, it started out in the desert, this healing and mabarn (spiritual power)," she said.
"They didn't have doctors, nurses, or Western medicine, and they were still strong."
Beth said she hoped the sacred knowledge could be passed on to young people one day and could be the answer to curbing issues impacting young people in the region.
"It is really important to pass on this knowledge of healing to young people," she said.
"Some of our young people suffer from mental health problems and they tell them to have tablets, but that's it."
Jalngangurru, which is managed by the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre, has partnered with the Derby Aboriginal Health Service (DAHS) and Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation to provide alternative health and well-being treatment options.
The program started in 2019 after community leaders called for solutions following a spate of suicides in the region.
It was one of various trial projects as part of the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Task Force.
Coordinator Tammy Solonec said the program was an important step to retaining cultural knowledge.
"A lot of the songs have been lost throughout Australia, but they've been able to retain this," she said.
"Most of our healers are very elderly and it's quite sacred knowledge they have."
Ms Solonec said a key focus was to pass on knowledge to young people.
"Passing on the knowledge is one of our guiding principles, and I get the sense from them that they want to be able to pass this on before they pass," she said.
"This is important, not just for today but for all our children in the future."
But passing on sacred knowledge is a challenging task.
"It's not just a matter of someone putting their hand up and saying 'I want to be a healer'," Ms Solonec said.
"It has a lot to do with their skin groups and family lines and choosing the right people.
"It takes a long time to learn the craft."
Demand for the program in Derby has meant the healers can travel to the town to run a three-day healing workshop where clients can be treated for various health and wellbeing problems.
Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation helped establish the program in Derby.
Chief executive Ben Burton said calls for alternative medicinal practices were growing.
"A lot of clients and medical services have been asking for access so now it's actually supply meets demand," he said.
"[We're] trying to bring them into a contemporary primary health setting to compliment health delivery."
Mr Burton said the region had a wealth of cultural knowledge.
"We've been able to draw on direct access to traditional healers in this region. It's still very strong and we're very lucky," he said.
"The importance of this about the protection of culture."
A client visiting the clinic would be seen by the women healers for bodywork and ochre before receiving mabarn (spiritual healing) healing from the men.
Youth worker Brett Manado was chosen by the men's healing group to learn the ropes.
He said it was a chance to learn more about his culture.
"It means a lot and the old people said I was doing the right thing," Mr Manado said.
"Hopefully over the next few years I can start helping a bit more with healing and learning the craft."
Mr Manado said the program could offer better coping mechanisms for young people dealing with trauma.
"Mental health is a pretty big issue in Derby and this healing tackles that," he said.
"Lots of young people don't have any role models so I see these guys as role models."
Mr Manado said Western medicine could often fall by the wayside.
"A lot of people suffer misdiagnosis from Western medicines," he said.
"After clients come and get the healing you can see the relief they have on their face and they're really taken aback by it."
