Just So Stories

Thames & Hudson

August 20265
ISBN: 9781760764074

RRP: $26.99

What is ceremony for many of us is not the same as Ceremony for our First Nations people. And while there are plenty of us who understand the purpose and meaning of some of these ceremonies, there are still just as many who are not only ignorant but choose to be so.

So, what better way to encourage people to develop their knowledge of the variety and importance of Ceremony in traditional First Australians’ culture than with another authoritative title in this hugely successful series.

As the mum/grandmother of Wiradjuri offspring, I have a certain amount of familiarity with many of the ceremonies outlined in this book, but there is always more to learn.

Wesley Enoch, is a Quandamooka man – so local for us and our visits to Stradbroke Island reveal how proud the First Nations people of the Moreton Bay area are. Wesley is a highly accomplished and acclaimed creator: playwright, director, creative architect for Commonwealth Games opening ceremonies, and more including his role as Deputy Chair of Creative Australia and Professor of Indigenous Practice, Creative Industries QUT.

Dr Georgia Curran is an anthropologist and ethnomusicologist who has spent a significant amount of time with Warlpiri, being accepted and embraced in their culture, and other groups across Central Australia. She is now senior research fellow at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

This is one blockbuster partnership to create such a wealth of information for everyday readers. I found Wesley’s recount of the Sorry Business of his father’s death and funeral quite powerful and moving. I loved reading about Georgia’s introduction to dancing with her Warlpiri sisters.

The chapters roam from festivals like the famous Garma and Laura Quinkan Dance Festivals to rites of passage, from sites of ceremonies to adaptation of ceremony for contemporary times, from the variations on traditional ceremonies from one nation to another. It is all a fascinating tapestry of rich culture and makes me, for one, long to see more.

And, certainly, all those ignorant Australians who scorn the smoking ceremonies so regularly held now for special events claiming it’s not even traditional blah blah blah, need to get hold of this book – and don’t stop there, do some actual research before you shoot off your racist mouths, thanks. The swell in misinformed and misleading racist rhetoric since the failed referendum is distressing to say the least.

This is a fine book to add to your collection. If we are in Xmas Countdown, don’t confine yourself to just the Western/Christian idea of Christmas, but open up your readers’ views to the rich heritage of ceremonies across the world and across peoples, starting with our own.

My very first prac teaching block was two weeks of teaching and I chose to focus on Christmas and other traditions around the world [there was a marvellous World Book encylopedia set which had a different country focus for each volume] and I have always ‘taught’ not just Christmas but other festivals, events and traditions.

This might not be particularly suited to primary children for reading but for your own reference and informed teaching – most definitely. For secondary collections and as a welcome gift for those interested, an excellent choice indeed. I give it a 5 🔥🌕🪶✨🎶rating for general reading.