Corroboree – what type of word is that?? Not traditionally European – and not traditionally Aboriginal. It is a word conceived of by European settlers in Australia while imitating the Aboriginal Australian word of caribberie. A corroboree is an evening or nocturnal Australian Aboriginal dance festival, where tribal victories and other events are celebrated.
Upon hearing about this, our family decided to go to one outside of Fremantle. We boarded a bus and slogged over an hour into the Australian countryside to see a showcase of Bibullmun culture from the Southwest of Australia and aboriginals.
We arrived at a venue that was an off-duty wedding hotspot, complete with hearts on the wall. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were served cocktails with hibiscus with bubbles.
As we waited for the dancers to begin, we ate a number of local appetizers including prawns, emu, and bush tomato tarts.
We were ushered to sit in front of the stage and the performers came out. Men in minimal clothes, painted with designs walked onto the stage to demonstrate the traditional didgeridoo.
The man who played the digeridoo was exceptionally informative – explaining how the instrument was made, who could play it (not women! – it could cause either infertility or pregnancy), and how it was played.
After the initial explanation, he began blowing and the others began dancing. The dances told stories of the history of native Australian people, of their experiences with the wilds of Australia.
They told a story where two men went hunting but their techniques weren’t working. They finally found a hive full of honey and therefore chopped down the tree; unfortunately, this caused the bees to attack them. The dance was imaginative!
After the dance, we were served dinner – kangaroo, barramundi, and prawns – and boarded the bus for the trek home to the ship.