Challenging Aboriginal Walkabout
Do an Aboriginal Walkabout by following
an original songline in the Blue Mountains
Dive into the life and culture of the aboriginal people in this Aboriginal Walkabout! Visit their sacred sites, watch as they perform their rituals, listen to their dreamtime stories and do bush tucker tasting!
The lost culture
In this authentic Aboriginal Walkabout I followed an Aboriginal songline of the Darug people who lived in the Blue Mountains. A songline is a series of songs which reveals landmarks that Aboriginal people use for navigation. Sadly no full blooded people of the Darug clan survived as the last died by the late 1800's. Their descendants however have formed groups to revive this special spiritual culture by moo-tang ngalaringi namgami dyarralang ("living our dreaming").
This walkabout is all about experiencing the spirituality of the Darug people, being creative and mastering some minor challenges. Aboriginal Walkabouts can be a part of initiation ceremonies of the Aborigines.
In a short introduction you present yourself to the other members of the group (about ten people). Additionally to saying your name, you are asked to tell the group an animal you really like. For me it is an eagle, a truly majestic bird.
After a short walk into the bush you sit down. In the warm and soft language of the Darug people the guide welcomes you. Then he starts to tell you about the aboriginal culture, the spirituality of the Aborigines. (Read the peom The Dreaming about his view of the Dreamtime.)
An rock engraving of a kangaroo
at a sacred site in the Blue Mountains.
The culture of the Aborigines is based on sustainable sharing of nature. They always take only what they need for life. Despite their simple tools and their seasonal nomadic life, they have a very rich spirtual culture.
Entering Dreamtime
Have you ever asked yourself: “Why get Aborigines not bitten by snakes?”. The indigenous people are always in Dreamtime. The Dreamtime or Dreaming is eternal and is an awareness of all things.
In Dreamtime you are aware of everything around you, every tree, leaf or little root on the ground. Because of this high awareness you will notice slippery rocks or snakes before you step on them.
By following a ritual you enter a state of Dreamtime and become more sensitive to the environment around you. One of the first things you might notice, is that you will hear sounds you were not aware of before. The whole day you will experience more and more what it means to be a part of nature.
Enhancing you senses
On the bush walk in the Aboriginal Walkabout to the first sacred site you practise another ritual to sharpen you sense of touch. You slide one hand down over the bark of a tree trunk while your eyes are closed. When you move your hand down, you are ask to feel you body from the head to the feet. When you move your hand upwards again, you do the same from the feet to the head.
The guide tells you to practise that during the day e.g. to touch leaves and slide your hand over rocks or the bark of a tree. During that day you start to use all your five senses to become aware of what is around you.
Visit to a Sacred Site
This Aboriginal walkabout takes you to a sacred site of the Darug people and in the beginning you might not be aware of it, because the engravings are barely visible when they are dry. After the guide had dashed them with water, they became clearly visible.
You learn about this sacred site and the stories for each engraving. Initiation ceremonies are held at sacred sites after Aborigines return from their Walkabouts. In these ceremonies the next level of the aboriginal law is passed down by the Elders throught stories, songs and dancing. Depending on the age and the knowledge of aboriginal people who participate, different stories are told to them by the Elders. This means for a certain engraving different stories are told about it. In all, there are 15 levels of knowledge. For women it is sometimes even forbidden to enter sacred sites.
A small billabong hidden deeply
in the eucalyptus forest
of the Blue Mountains
Ochre bark and body painting
The songline leads to a cave, then down a creek and along this creek to a small hidden billabong.
You learn about ochre painting here. The paint is obtained by grinding an ochre stone to a powder and mixing fluid to the powder to bind it together. Depending on the type of ochre stone, you obtain different colours. The guide tells you some aboriginal symbols you can paint on your bodies and you are free to be creative. Aborigines are people of the sand. For them ochre painting enhances their connection with plants, animals, and the land. It also tells about the spiritual relationship to their relatives.
The last stop on this Aboriginal Walkabout is a cave with rock paintings. Our last task for that day was to spot the three white hands on the wall which is not simple if you don't know what to look for. Also these hands are very faint, too.
Conclusion
As far as I can judge it, you only obtain a small insight into this rich culture, but every step of that Aboriginal Walkabout was worth doing. I have heard that the aboriginal culture is confusing to some people, but the friendly guide is willing to answers all the questions you might have. So, if you should spend some time in the Blue Mountains and you do not mind a little bush walking, it is an experience you should not miss.