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Land of Contrasts p2

The author of Land of Contrasts, Edith McFarlane, writes about a corroboree she witnessed near Durham Downs in the 1920s…

Ms McFarlane writes: There was a large native camp less than two miles from the Durham homestead, where quite a number of natives lived in their bark humpies…During the time I lived at Durham there was one occasion of great festivities among the natives. They came from all the neighbouring stations – Cordillo Downs, Arrabury, Innamincka, Nockatunga – for the great corroboree [meeting and ceremonial dancing], and there must have been at least several hundreds. As far as I can recall they would have all walked the distances – some more than 100 miles, and I imagine that few would have been left at the stations to carry on normal duties. The corroboree lasted for about a week and I was privileged to see the dancing one evening, and, after a certain hour, again the next morning. Other writers have described the dancing more accurately than I can — but I remember clearly the perfect balance and timing, and the grace of the movements as the men moved, wearing fantastic head dresses, some very tall, some not so high but very wide –while the women beat their primitive instruments and chanted monotonously, dogs barked furiously, and over all the smoke of flickering fires. A scene never to be forgotten. Alas! There are so few aborigines left in that area now that one could never again see such sights there.

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