A Warlpiri winter solstice ceremony: Performance, succession and the jural public

Abstract

Warlpiri people heartily dislike the bitter cold of midwinter nights when the temperatures can drop to freezing, and the daytime temperatures are kept cool by the winds from the south-east that blow into Central Australia, bringing cold air from the aptly named Snowy Mountains. In 1972, I witnessed a publicly held winter solstice ceremony at Yuendumu, the explicitly articulated purpose of which was to shorten the night and hasten the warmth that comes with daylight. I imagined that such a ceremony would be a regular event - but, to my surprise, I learned that it had last been held probably... Show more