Sunday, August 29, 2010
So the Darwin Festival has come to an end. But not before a closing ceremony. Not as glitzy and glamorous as the opening (they never are) but Deb and I headed to Mindil Beach to enjoy the Sunset ceremony.
Before the ceremony however, it was time to enjoy the beach (at low tide) and hit up the market for some dinner. The sunset markets at Mindil beach are talked about in most tour books including Lonely Planet. I don't find they differ that much from other markets but you are guaranteed to find some interesting items and a cheap (and good) feed (that's how Australians describe going to get something to eat.......let's go get a feed.....so funny).
Debi on the sand. Well it really is more like muck when the tide is out.
Leading down to the beach and the ceremony.
There's always a boat or two out on the water.
Before the ceremony started, they had everyone sit around a circle marked by tea lights in paper bags. They had these nice blankets laid out donated by the sponsor. Nice thing was that when we left we got to take one home with us (blanker not tea light).
There is a candle in this bag but it wouldn't be until after the ceremony that you could really tell.
Just like the ceremony, the audience was separated by sex. Women on one side, men on the other. Here are a few shots from the ceremony. I am sure I mentioned before that Darwin is on Larrakia lands so it seemed right that we should end the Festival with a Larrakia sunset ceremony. The ceremony was titled Wanga Mirak which translates to "see you later".
The singer and the didgeridoo player for the ceremony. At some point I have to learn how to play a didgeridoo. Not an easy thing to do I don't think.
Some of the dancers. All the dancers were from the same family and really varied in age. All generations were represented and took part.
A ceremonial painting. Once they were done painting each other, they also painted willing audience members.
Unfortunately the women's side had to stare into the sun but all it really meant was that I couldn't take a lot of pictures.
Grand father, grand son. In many aboriginal tribes family titles are used across the board. What I mean by that is that you wouldn't just call your father "father" but you would also call his brothers "father" instead of uncle (or mother instead of aunt) and their children would not be your cousins but your brothers and sisters. With large families it can get very confusing because you could have a lot of moms and dads and a whole lot of brothers and sisters.
A short video from part of the ceremony. It was really enjoyable.
All painted up.
After that there was nothing to do but go home. Amazing how quickly the last few weeks have flown by.
Julie
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