Community
31 October, 2024
Historic moment for Mount Noorat
HISTORY was made at Mount Noorat over the weekend when the first smoking ceremony since colonisation was held in a celebration of the importance the landmark played in connecting Aboriginal tribes.
A ceremony was held on the mount on Sunday as part of the ‘Caring for Country’ celebration, with Kirrae Wurrung man Brett Clarke and his son, Wirran, leading discussions and a guided tour of the mount.
Mount Noorat Management Committee member Graham Arkinstall said it was “great to see a really good turnout” with around 40 people in attendance.
“Today is the first opportunity the management committee has actually been able to take to be able to have a First Nations-specific activity here,” he said.
“The purpose was to have a smoking ceremony, cultural talks and a guided walk up Mount Noorat.
“That’s just for people to know that Mount Noorat was a very important part of First Nations history – it was a major trading area, and the mountain itself was like a lighthouse which brought people to Noorat.
“Whether ceremonies were held on site isn’t the issue – the mount was the beacon, and the area around the mount was a really important trading area for First Nations people pre-colonisation.
“This is the very first smoking ceremony held at Mount Noorat, post-colonisation, and it’s the first to involve us as white people.”
Mount Noorat Management Committee chair William Conheady said hosting the day was an important aspect of the strategic plan for the committee.
The committee is dedicated to ensuring the deep connection to country First Nations people have is respected, and utilised in building the knowledge south west Victorians have in the history of Mount Noorat.
“We planned this day as part of our management plan for the mount – we’ve joined with the Kirrae Wurrung people to have a day of reflection and acknowledgement of the people to whom this area has great significance,” Mr Conheady said.
“We’re pleased to be able to have this day because we think it’s pretty significant in modern times.
“We’ve never had an opportunity to do this.”
Mr Clarke walked people through the Aboriginal history and learnings, which included information on plants and natural remedies and the way people lived around the Mount Noorat region.
He began the ceremony with a traditional smoking ceremony which has been unchanged for generations.
“There’s nothing new whatsoever about a smoking ceremony,” he said.
“If I was travelling back in the day, I wouldn’t walk into another family tribe’s boundary without getting permission.
“I would walk to the edge of my boundary and patiently wait until I was invited in by the neighbouring family.
“We would have a chat, a bit of a yarn, and if they granted me permission they would do a respectful smoke signal (Ngootyoong Kaaween).”
