I’ve seen a few contemporary urban indigenous ‘ceremonies’ and they remind me of the portrayal of primitive peoples in B Grade 1950’s Tarzan movies. In my opinion it is most unlikely that many genuine ceremonies have survived in highly populated and westernised areas of Australia. As an example of what a genuine ‘welcome’ might entail, it is interesting to note the practice of the Walpiri and surrounding ‘tribes’ in central Australia as described in M. J. Meggitt’s anthropological study “Desert People”. On arrival in another ‘country’ the visitors would take the hands of their seated hosts and rub this hand with the underside of their sub-incised penis. It is important not to view the richly divergant pre-European heritage of the aboriginal peoples as some sort of noble savage idyll where the natives take part in a smouldering gum leaf version of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. In my view it is grossly disrespectful to the original inhabitants to fabricate ceremonies, or participate in them.
Hmmm. Sounds like what male strippers do at hen's nights.
1 comment:
Welcome to country done well is a great thing, a pleasure to behold and participate in. Never had to shake hand with the unemployed in this sense before though. Token acknowledgement of traditional owners trotted out at every Government tea party when no indiginous people are involved or being talked about get up my nose big time!
Bigtones
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