After having been painted up with red ochre, young Yanyuwa "daru" or initiates are slowly walked to the "Jamangki" initiation ground by a group of men and boys, painted with clay and carrying bundles of leaves, who dance around them during their "Mandiwala" initiation ceremony in Borroloola. Upon arrival they are carried to their fathers by the men who accompanied them from the place where they were painted up for the ceremony.
"Wayi" -- "Greetings" in Yanyuwa. These children are not only being initiated in the "Mandiwala" ceremony, but most important of all, they are learning about their culture and language. What makes Yanyuwa so unique is that it is not related to any other language in the world, so it is not that they are just Aborigines. Australia could not recognize this in the past, when Aborigines were rounded up and taken to stations. But now it can, by preserving there unique cultures and languages.
uphamtimothy 1 month ago