Lifelong reading and learning is the broad term for education that occurs after school as Cecil’s story demonstrates. Cecil contacted the Read Write Now office six months ago. He recently moved with his family from a small Indigenous community in the Kimberley region to Perth. Working as an Aboriginal Engagement Liaison Officer at a Secondary School he understands the importance of lifelong learning and self-improvement to ensure job security and future growth opportunities for himself and his family. Cecil is passionate to serve as a role model to the young people at his school and community who look up to him and who he wants to inspire to follow through to reach their goals and to maintain a positive cultural identity for wellbeing, belonging and connectedness. Read Cecil’s recount of his and his family’s recent cultural experiences, written during tutoring sessions with RWN Tutor, Ann.
In November, my wife and I took our twin babies back to the community for a smoke and mud ceremony. This is a tradition that has been handed down through the generations to keep the babies strong.
First, we break up the earth from an anthill into chunks and put these pieces over a slow-burning fire. The fire is made from the roots of the bush berry, (mabarra.) Young, green leaves from two eucalypts, (demalal and manyinyi), are added to the fire. We stir the mud lumps over and over in the fire. When they are black, we remove them from the fire. We break them into small pieces, we crush them and add water to make a mud mixture. We rub the babies with this mud.
We approach the fire to let the babies smell the smoke. We wrap them securely and cover ourselves with a big blanket to keep the smoke in. The smoke helps them sleep well at night. We stay under the blanket for a short time, just long enough for the babies to give a little cry or cough. The babies don’t get bathed until the next day. They have their bath in boiled, cooled water with the same type of green leaves we use for the smoking ceremony.
Published in The Herald, Saturday March 4, 2023 – Page 10
