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Smoking Ceremony
Encompass the culture and spirituality
of the Nyungar people by partaking in a smoking ceremony. Let
the smells and sights foster the harmony of the Nyungar culture.
This is a ceremony that has been
practised for thousands of years. participating in a smoking ceremony
heals and purifies people - the smoke enters them and strengthens
them when they feel sad or weak.
In a smoking ceremony, leaves from
the balga (grass tree), wattle and other plants are smouldered
on a small fire. The smoke is used to cover the participants’
bodies, ridding them of what is not needed. It also purifies the
area and has the ability to ward off bad spirits. The group feels
that it is leaving behind troubles and beginning something new.
Smoking ceremonies are conducted
as part of the Djinoong Nyungar Wirrin
Boodja Nyungar Know How workshops. If you would like to
find out more about Yelakitj Moort Nyungar's smoking ceremonies
and/or engage our services, please contact
us.
Song & Dance
With no written language the Nyungars
were expert communicators and educators. In partnership with the
WA Gould League, Yelakitj Moort Nyungars run workshops and activity
programmes for students that incorporate traditional Nyungar song
and dance rituals.
In a Song & Dance Workshop,
students will 'pass through the smoke' in a traditional Nyungar
welcome ceremony, an ancient custom to set the stage of openness
and unity.
Be amazed as the Nyungar dancers
communicate their stories through the universal language of dance.
The dancers will then workshop with the students tutoring them
in Nyungar dance moves, body/bookha (traditional dress)
painting and Nyungar art.
Students will have the opportunity
to develop their skills and share their own stories in dance with
other class members in a traditional Nyungar context around a
campfire, enjoying traditional Nyungar camp food.
if you would like to find out more
about our Song & Dance programmes, please email
us today.
Nyungar Welcomes (Wanju Boodja)
A welcome to country ceremony is
a traditional Aboriginal blessing, symbolising the traditional
owners' consent to an event taking place on their land.
if you or your organisation requires
a traditional Nyungar Welcoming Ceremony, please contact us.
Story Telling
Story telling has always been a
vital part of the Nyungar culture. Stories are told to teach lessons,
give warnings, and keep Nyungar history alive. From an early age,
storytelling plays a vital role in educating children.
Gathered around the evening camp
fire or at a place of special significance, parents, elders, aunts
or uncles use stories as the first part of a child's education.
The stories help to explain how the boodja (land) came
to be and inhabited by Nyungar, how to behave and why and where
to find certain foods, etc.
As children grow into young adults, more of
the history and culture is revealed. Adults then take responsibility
for passing on the stories to the following generations. In this
way, the Stories of the Dreaming have been handed down over thousands
of years.
Yelakitj Moort Nyungar's story telling activities
form part of a Nyungar Know How activities
programme run in partnership with the WA Gould League. To find
out more, please contact us.
Tree Planting/Seeding
In this activity, learn about the environment
through the eyes of Nyungar. Identify plants and their uses and
take part in tree planting and seeding activities. This programme
can be used as an adjunct to Nyungar Know
How workshops.
Tool Making
Discover how the Nyungar people used natural
materials to make tools such as stone axes and have the opportunity
to make your own foraging and hunting tools.
We will guide and demonstrate the correct uses
of tools and help you create your own.
Subjects covered include:
- Stone knapping to make cutting tools
- Pressure flaking for spear points
- Create a variety of foraging and hunting
tools
- Make bush glues
- Cordage/string from natural materials
- Correct names and uses of tools
All materials are provided and each course participant
will have the opportunity to complete a selection of tools or
ornaments.
if you would like to learn how to make tools
in the traditional Nyungar way, contact
Yelakitj Moort Nyungars today. Tool Making is also covered
in the Nyungar Know How series of workshops.
Art
Learn how to make traditional Nyungar art and
decorate Aboriginal artefacts. Learn about the different patterns
and how traditional Nyungar created colours from rock and plant
materials.
In this hands-on programme, paint boomerangs,
kangaroo skins and rocks. Find out about message sticks, what
they were used for and how to make them.
For more information about Yelakitj Moort art
activities, contact us. To browse our
Art for Sale, click here.
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