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Source 6.32. “Corroboree” in School Paper (Walker, Term 3, 1968, n.p.).
The event is referred to as occurring “between the sunset and sleeptime” and provides a “time
for play about” (Walker, 1968, n.p.). The dancing that makes up the majority of the actions of
a Corroboree is described as “The hunters paint black bodies by firelight with designs of
meaning To dance corroboree” (Walker, 1968, n.p). Traditional instruments accompanying
the dancing are described as “click-sticks click in rhythm to swaying bodies” (Walker, 1968,
n.p). Finally, in the last stanza, the deeper, spiritual, meaning of the corroboree is
communicated:
Like Spirit things in from the great surrounding dark
Ghost-gums dimly stand at the edge of light
Watching corroboree.
...
As naked dancers weave stories of the tribe
Into corroboree. (Walker, 1968, n.p).
This poem is an example of valuing Indigenous culture without being mediated through other
cultures as a point of comparison. The perspective, uncommon for a school curriculum
document, is that of an Indigenous person. Usually Indigenous people and cultures are
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