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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
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.
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
Production company
CAAMA Productions
Executive Producer
Priscilla Collins (AKA Cilla Collins)
Director
Dena Curtis
Acknowledgements
Papula Apparr-kari Aboriginal Corporation
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.