Around 30 ngangkari shared firsthand accounts in the second edition of Traditional Healers of Central Australia: Ngangkaṉfi, published by the NPY Women’s Council to educate Western health workers about ngangkari practices.

Western medicine and ngangkari are presented as complementary, aiming to improve health outcomes through collaborative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

A traditional ngangkari healing method described involves placing an open hand on the patient to draw out illness, interpreted as a magnetic opening by healer Josephine Mick in translation from Pitjantjatjarra.

Ngangkaṉfi refers to traditional Aboriginal healers in the NPY lands of Central Australia, with practitioners of all ages learned through practice and spiritual engagement rather than formal study.

The ngangkaṉfi program has run for 27 years, remaining one of Australia’s few enduring traditional healing initiatives, sustained by ngangkari leadership and community involvement.

Content in the new edition was translated directly from ngangkari voices into English, preserving authentic descriptions and perspectives without external narration.

Released in November, the new edition expands the collective voice of ngangkari and reinforces intergenerational transmission of traditional healing roles within the Women’s Council and communities.

Ngangari seek equal recognition with Western-trained doctors and nurses and advocate for educating Western health workers about ngangkari methods and values.

The first edition, released in 2013, sold over 17,000 copies globally, highlighting international interest and the goal of validating traditional healing within the broader health system.