Smoking Ceremony



Today I watched a traditional smoking ceremony. I've seen a few of these in my time working with indigenous communities, and the commonalities between the ceremonies used by various groups across south-eastern Australia gives me a confidence to use them as a common ritual in Walkabout. The fact that they are used publically in front of non-indigenous Australians also means that there's no real fear of spreading secret knowledge to people who shouldn't be seeing it.

Given the opportunity, I approached the local elders who ran the ceremony, asking them if they'd be willing to share some of the stories. I usually tell people I'm writing a comic book when I first make contact with them, because this is something people quickly understand as a storytelling medium. It's after a couple of meetings that I reveal how much more there is to the project. At this stage, I've once again been welcomed into the community. I've been offered a guided tour of the local sacred sites, an overview of the local Dreaming lore, a history of the area since settlers arrived, and anything else that might be of interest... and there is so much of interest.

I've already been shown totems and local artwork, so things are definitely back on track for adding depth to the lore of Walkabout with insight from the last surviving members of the Barapa Barapa community.

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