Corroboree << kuh ROB uh ree >> is a type of secular (nonreligious) ceremony performed by Aboriginal people of Australia, often for non-Aboriginal audiences. The term corroboree is the English adaptation of the Aboriginal word caribberie. These ceremonies feature music, dancing, and body painting. The songs and dances may tell the history of a particular tribe or convey stories of the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime, or Dreaming, is a spiritual concept fundamental to Aboriginal culture. According to tradition, the Dreamtime includes an ancient time when the first beings created the land.
The Tiwi people of Melville and Bathurst islands, in the Northern Territory, perform a type of corroboree called pukamani. This ceremony ensures that a deceased person’s soul successfully travels to the spirit world. During a pukamani ceremony, an inspired mourner may suddenly make a song about the dead person, praising the person’s virtues and feats. As the ceremony progresses, elaborately carved poles symbolizing the status of the deceased are placed around the burial site. The Tiwi people also preserve extraordinary events in song and dance, such as the bombing of Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, during World War II (1939-1945).
