Corroboree a highlight at Hope Vale Festival

The colourful week kicked off with Carols by Candlelight on Sunday, December 12, and took in everything from a blue light disco, to spear fashioning, a battle of the bands, breakfast with Santa and a special Friday evening performance or corroboree.

People from Cook Islands, Hopevale and Wujal Wujal gathered on the night of Friday, December 10 for a traditional Indigenous kup muri feast and a yambala, or corroboree.

The event was funded by the Community Action Fund, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, and the Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council, with the PCYC offering their support.

Event organiser Kaylene Bowen said this was the second festival and they hoped to make it an annual event.

“The aim of the week is to keep the Aboriginal culture alive,” Kaylene said.

“There were activities for Indigenous people of all ages, from the little kids, to youngsters, Elders and community members.”

As the heat of the day subsided with the sunset on Friday, Ailsa Woibo and a couple of other Hope Vale women began preparing and decorating an area by the coffee shop and youth centre where the dances and performances would take place.

The women placed red Poinciana and yellow and white frangipani flowers around the perimeter of a space lavishly filled with flowers and petals, then some upright palm leaves.

Were they building a shrine, I asked?

“No,” Ailsa laughed. “This is to keep the little ones out, and stop them from trying to join in.”

Night fell, the R&B music wafted on the warm summer breeze and what was once a big empty space came alive with hundreds of people from near and far, ready to partake of the traditional Aboriginal feast, the kup muri.

“It’s open to the whole community,” said Trevor, a Traditional Owner, as he feasted on an eclectic plate of dugong, turtle and damper fresh out of the hot rocks, where it had been wrapped in banana leaves.

“Dig in,” he urged. “This is the only place you’ll get to eat tucker like this!”

The kup muri vanished as quickly as it appeared, and the night slipped into an exotic mix of traditional song, dance and celebration. The local Hope Vale dance troupe opened the night by acting out stories from the Dreamtime, wearing lap laps and adornments, and their bodies painted in the traditional ways.

Hope Vale Arts and Cultural Centre yambala teacher William Brady acted as MC for the Hope Vale Dancers, singing the Dreamtime songs and explaining the meanings and cultural significance of each dance to the enthralled audience.

Kaylene said the songs and dances were used for both education and entertainment.

“Yambala has gotten a lot bigger in the community since William got on board,” Kaylene said.

“Everyone performed so enthusiastically.”

During the dance intermission, winners of Thursday night’s Battle Of The Bands, The Whumbals, performed their brand of saltwater reggae before the Cook Islands dance troupe “Ei Tiare” graced the stage.

All eyes were on the colourful costumes and grass skirts as the 25 dancers shimmied and shook the night away to the exotic rhythms of the Cook Island Drummers.

Founder and tutor of the Cairns-based ‘Ei Tiare’, Russell Te Moni, said the troupe included dancers ranging from age 9 to 60.

They used dance as a medium to share stories and showcase ancient traditions, while also reflecting the modern world, he said.

“All the songs and dances are highly structured and require a great deal of knowledge and skill to perform,” Russell said.

“Everything has meaning. Some of the dances were from Cook Islands while others were from the Tahitian tradition.”

The dances included the Tahitian dance Poerava, and the Cook Island dance Avaiki.

Russell said it was the first time any of the dancers or musicians had performed in Hopevale.

“It was a great experience, a real eye-opener,” Russell said.

“All the kids want to know when we’re going back!”

Issue 494 December 17th 2010