Yingwana : Water Clearance Ceremony
Water clearance ceremony for Yidumduma's nephew Jonas Doctor. Here Yidumduma talks to Jonas in Kriol and to the Ancestors in Wardaman Language asking permission to clear Jonas for entry to adulthood. This is part of initiation Law carried out at a sacred spring or waterhole where the Ancestors living under the water and in the surrounding trees and palms give clearance the young ones. Jonas must look at his shadow reflection in the water as the Elder wets his head.
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Transcript
I'll go down and look.
The water there is alright.
Come here.
I am going to put water on your head, for Yingwana. Kriol
Because he is a young man,
I will wet his head,
to recognize that he can get married.
This is giving him a clearance.
When he comes close,
I will give him this and he has to look at his shadow in this water,
and the water has a lot of spiritual people inside,
a lot of old people and a lot of old ladies over there
and they all giving him a clearance at the same time.
Because he's called, Yingwana.
Yingwana is a young man whose been through the law system, one part is punishment,
and this part gives him a clearance.
Now here.
Look at your shadow. Kriol
Come close. Kriol
Sit right here with me. K
There's sun here too. K
I will try on that side. K
I brought a young man here with me to show him the special spring. English
All these trees are recognized in our creation story, they're all human. E
Today they are the old people living in the spring, E
under the water, and all the old ladies, E
part of the pandanus over there. E
They're upstream a bit.
They're all listening to us bring this young boy here to give him a clearance.
We call him, Yingwana
Yingwana means a teenage boy.
We're going to give him a clearance,
through the Dreaming in the water.
I'll wet his head, he will spit the water out.
I will tap his head with the water,
that will give him a clearance.
He will be cleared that way, because he's an Yingwana,
he is free to marry and do other things.
When he get married, he won't get into trouble,
because we give him a clearance by wetting his head......
Now I will give him a cup of water E
You come here close. Kriol
I will give him this cup of water. English
We can sit down. Kriol
I give him this cup of water. E
He will put it in his mouth, like I showed you, K
rinse your mouth and spit it out over there. K
He's gargling that water and spitting it out. E
Once more. E
Now with that same water, I will put a little in my hand and tap his head like this,
and wet his head that way,
so he won't get sick or anything like that.
I have to call out to the old people in my language. E
Old man Wardaman
I am tapping his head with the water, W
and later on. W
You mob (spiritual people) are watching him from the top, W
and from underneath as well. W
One more, I am going to tap water on his head. W
Like that now. W
It's good now. W
He went through the law, everything is good now. W
Later on he is going back home. W
That's when he gets married, W
Means when he get married. E
He is freed, cleansed now by the water. E
At night time, when he goes to sleep,
he won't dream about evil spirits.
He'll be alright, because tapping his head with the water
has given him a clearance.
Mardbangga, this place called.
All these trees here are old people.
All the pandanus are the old ladies,
and they live underneath the water.
They have cleared him now. E
You can get up now. K
We can go sit down now. K
He's alright now.
Everyone (spiritual people) has seen him now.
That's good.
