There was always something special about Dolly Parton’s music that felt so familiar to me. Dolly was part of the soundtrack in my grandparents’ home growing up in country-town New South Wales.As I got older, I began to understand why her music resonated with my family and why Dolly has held such a special place in the hearts of so many Aboriginal people for generations. Her music was so personal but resonated powerfully with mob, becoming ours too. For many Aboriginal people, these weren’t simply country songs: they reflected parts of our own lived experiences.From rags to richesParton's work with collaborator and co-producer Porter Wagoner transformed her sound, launching her career. Source: Getty / Michael Ochs ArchivesDolly Parton was born in 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, one of 12 children in a family with very little money. She began writing songs as a child, and at 13 she was already performing at the iconic Grand Ole Opry. She would go on to become one of the most successful and recognisable artists in the world, a singer, songwriter, actor, author, businesswoman and philanthropist.The country music star's glitzy appearance belied her down to earth attitudes.But despite everything she achieved throughout her career, Dolly never seemed to leave that little girl from humble beginnings behind. She wrote about poverty, family, heartbreak, ambition, resilience and the people and places that shaped her.Songs like Coat of Many Colors told stories about growing up without much but finding richness in family and love. 9 to 5 captured the frustrations of working life. The iconic Jolene turned heartbreak and vulnerability into one of the most recognisable songs in music history.Our mob understood it all.We understood stories about families who may not have material wealth but were rich in love, family, humour and strength. We understood the importance of home, country, community and belonging. We knew the strong women Dolly sang about in her songs because we have those women in our own families, our matriarchs, our mothers, our grandmothers and aunties who are the backbone of our families and held us together through incredibly difficult times. Most of all we understand what it means to be proud of where you come from, our old people passed this onto us.Perhaps that is why her music travelled so easily into so many Aboriginal family homes. We didn’t have to come from Dolly’s world to understand and feel the truth within her songs. We could hear a little of our own story in them too.Tributes flow from Dolly's Indigenous fansDolly passed away aged 80 on Tuesday, following a brief battle with cancer. Since then, tributes from mob across the country have poured in, a reflection of just how deeply her loss has been felt.“Some of my earliest musical memories involve Dolly Parton," said Australian country music icon Troy Cassar-Daley. "Her pure mountain-styled voice, her phrasing and songwriting all helped me fall in love with her sound right up to this day.“To our mob she was a pure light of unity, everyone loved her, but she had deep connections with us and our family. "I think because her voice and songs also had an undertone of hardship, ones she endured in her childhood and something my grandparents and parents were no strangers to.”Kaylene Whiskey, proud Yankunytjatjara artist known for bringing pop culture icons into her vibrant depictions of Anangu life, has long celebrated Dolly in her work.Following Dolly’s passing, Iwantja Arts shared a beautiful tribute from Kaylene.“Dear Dolly, you will always be the number one kungka kunpu (strong woman), thank you for your music and your love. "I know you are singing and dancing with the angels now. I will always love you!”Filmmaker and producer Karla Hart shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, writing “Dolly filled my heart as I sang my heart out to so many of her songs for so many seasons of my life with my old people.”Many mob have shared how Dolly’s music was part of laying loved ones to rest, highlighting the profound impact she had on our communities and the way her music became intertwined with some of our most significant moments.The Parramatta Eels also paid tribute, sharing a video on TikTok of NRL player Josh Addo-Carr with 9 to 5 playing in the background. Addo-Carr looks to the sky, blows a kiss and says “RIP Dolly Parton.”Her legacy is massive, but I think the most beautiful part of Dolly’s legacy is what happens when her music becomes personal to us. It lives on in the stories our old people told us, in the songs that became part of our family memories, in the voices of generations of artists she inspired and in the love and joy she brought into so many mobs homes.Dolly may have come from a world far from ours, but somehow she became part of our story too. Her music gave us something to sing along to, something to hold onto through the hardest moments of life and loss.That is the mark of a true storyteller and icon. Dolly had the ability to tell her own story so honestly that people from another place, another generation and another culture can find a piece of themselves within it.Dolly will always remind me of my grandparents, of Narrandera, of family and of the stories they shared with me. And I know that for so many others across our communities, her songs will carry their own memories of loved ones, family and home.Her loss will be deeply felt, but so too will her legacy. Dolly’s music will live on in the people who heard it, loved it and found a piece of themselves within it.Dolly, we will always love you!NITV will celebrate Dolly’s extraordinary life and legacy with Dolly Parton: Here I Am, airing at 9pm, with a repeat on SBS on Sunday evening.