Maar Koodjal, Nyoongah traditional cultural educator, Dennis Simmons

Many are beginning to criticise tourism as diluting Aboriginal culture, diminishing it as a product for tourism and commercial benefit only – at the expense of culture itself and authentic identity.  Traditional cultural educators and historians and community leaders are arguing that traditional culture and ceremonies are being diluted and falsified for transient non-Aboriginal audiences and are generating demeaning stereotypes packaged for tourism.

Nyoongah cultural historian and Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Robert Eggington said that far too much of First Nations history has been packaged for non-Aboriginal audiences, watered down to the simplistic and untrue with the consequence it has lost its spiritual meaning and historical identity.

“Far too many take our history and our ceremony and culture and turn it into something that it is not, postulating it for white audiences,” said Mr Eggington.

“Far too many demean us to song and dance presentations for these audiences and interpret us in ways we are not.”

For more than three decades, Mr Eggington and his partner, Selina Eggington have dedicated their lives to archiving, preserving and exhibiting Aboriginal history. Dumbartung’s Kyana Gallery is one of the nation’s largest archives of First Nations history and facts.

“The Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation strives to empower the healing of our people’s lives and communities through cultural initiatives that strengthen the spiritual identity and creates a sense of belonging.”

Nyoongah Dennis Simmons is a well-known traditional cultural educator. Mr Simmons and his sons and family lead the ceremonial group Maar Koodjal. He has been teaching and performing traditional culture in schools for nearly two decades. In 2009, Mr Simmons and his son, Dennis Jnr presented Maar Koodjal at the World Cultural Festival in Malaysia. A few years back, Mr Simmons sat on the Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Communities, which made a number of recommendations on how to improve the mental health of First Peoples and on how to empower identity in First Peoples communities.

“When it comes to culture, what is missing in the modern context these days is the spirituality of it – the deeper meanings of it to our culture, our ceremonies,” said Mr Simmons.

“People, when they talk about culture that they call dances, they are not dances, they are in fact ceremonies. There is a big difference. It is a way of connecting with spirits not only within yourself but within your Country, and of the land and of the people around you, and this is the true meaning of culture.”

“So when we perform for a ceremony, we just don’t bring ochre or wiligi and throw it on ourselves. The preparation of the ochre and wiligi and of ourselves before the ceremony is a ceremony in itself. It is a way to reengage and connect with our spirits, so when we ceremony for the spirit to come we are already there with them because we have already prepared ourselves for them, so there is the deeper stronger meaning, it is all about getting to the spirit of the land and the spirit of our people.”

Nyoongah yorga, Marianne Mackay said the financial profit motive undermines the representation of authentic traditional culture and hence affects the contemporary identity of many First Peoples. “We have a rich identity in connection to Country, in belonging to it rather than in trying to make it belong to us. We have a rich history, tens of thousands of years old, of walking on Country, of good health, of bush medicines but far too many have been assimilated and the profit motive that comes in living in the assimilation of a western society of few values that are kindred to the land has cheapened for too many what should be our true identity.”

“Cheapening who we really are goes to the heart of much of the identity crises that too many of our people, especially our young, are enduring.”

One way many lost and troubled youth are saved is by a reconnection with Country – there are many on-Country programs that work in the ways that Dumbartung does, with healing. Kimberley Aboriginal Lore and Culture Council sponsor the Yiriman project. Wes Morris is its coordinator.

“Annually, we have Elders and mentors take 400 youth on Country to reconnect with the land, values and their identity.”

News grab with Dennis Simmons here: