Smoking the Baby: Termite string

Title:

Smoking the Baby: Termite string

Year

2001

Warnings

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons

Summary

A woman shows us how to find termites by following the termite string to the termite bed in the spinifex grass. She shows the young children the termite eggs. She tells us that they rub the children’s tummy by mixing the termite bed with water. Mungkarta are gathered for the green bushes used to smoke the small babies and children. The clip ends with us being shown the different plants gathered for the smoking ritual. Summary by Romaine Moreton.

CURATOR'S NOTES

The intricate knowledge of the land and the gathering of plants represent a practice thousands of years old. The wisdom required to make this ritual possible is specialised, and we see the women handing on that knowledge to the younger children who accompany them on their gathering expeditions.

Smoking the Baby synopsis

An observational documentary about the cultural ritual of smoking the baby to ensure their health and well-being.

Smoking the Baby is part of the Nganampa Anwernekenhe series produced by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) Productions. Nganampa Anwernekenhe means 'ours’ in the Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte lanuages, and the series aims to contribute to the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures.

Smoking the Baby curator's notes

Elders sitting at Five Mile, south-east of Seven Mile, tell us how the old people used to smoke the babies. The ritual of smoking the baby is one of purification.

Notes by Romaine Moreton