WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised the following article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died.
The grieving family of Kumanjayi Little Baby have laid the five-year-old to rest in an emotional funeral service on the edge of Alice Springs.
The girl's mother urged the hundreds of attendees, many of them dressed in pink, to remember Kumanjayi Little Baby for who she was beyond her tragic death.
As a rare rain fell on the Red Centre capital on Saturday, the crowd was forced to converge under shelter in the spirit of "Jintangka", a word favoured by the family that represents unity and togetherness.
Family members and loved ones surrounded a small coffin adorned with pink flowers and a teddy bear, and cried together.
Kumanjayi Little Baby's mother Jacinta Roy remembered her as a precious daughter and beloved sister to her older brother.
"You are always in our heart, forever," she said in a eulogy read on her behalf.
"Forever five, forever young."
The young girl loved watching Bluey, listening to music, going to kindy, cuddling puppies and the colour pink, Ms Roy said.
"As a mother, my heart breaks into a million pieces.
"I miss her.
"As a Christian, I would like to thank Father, Son and Holy Spirit for gifting me with a beautiful, precious little baby girl for the precious time that I was her mother here on Earth."
Kumanjayi Little Baby's grandfather Robin Japanangka Granites, who has acted as a spokesperson for the family, opened the funeral to the public to allow the community to grieve as one.
"You are from here and we need you because we both cried at that same time," he said.
The family has spent the months leading up to the funeral following Little Baby's death participating in cultural practices and grieving known as "sorry business".
"This is our culture and we're doing it but in white man's way," Mr Granites said.
The service comes months after the disappearance of Kumanjayi Little Baby sparked one of the largest searches in Northern Territory history.
Kumanjayi Little Baby - so named for cultural reasons following her death - went missing from Old Timers camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in late April.
It prompted an intensive five-day search by emergency services and local volunteers in grassy bushland.
The discovery of her body prompted a nationwide outpouring of grief, with vigils held across the country.
Alice Springs mayor Asta Hill said the tragedy had deeply rocked the community, many of whom had taken part in the search or donated what they could to support the family.
"Here at the funeral, I see the community wrapping its arms around the family who are sharing their heartbreak with us," she told AAP.
"The community is sharing its heartbreak with them as well.
"We've heard multiple times today that this has been an offering of Jintangka - a coming together of everyone."
The arrest of 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis over Kumanjayi Little Baby's death sparked a riot outside Alice Springs Hospital, where angry locals demanded he be handed over to face traditional justice.
Lewis was flown out to Darwin, where he awaits his murder trial.
Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care chief executive Catherine Liddle, an Arrernte and Luritja woman, said there must be an assessment of where the child protection system had failed.
"We need to really examine how a violent perpetrator was in an environment where children are vulnerable," she told AAP.
Ms Liddle said other changes including investing in housing and early childhood supports would help protect children and prevent tragedies like the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby in the future.
13YARN 13 92 76
Lifeline 13 11 14
Australian Associated Press
