What is corroboree?

A corroboree is a ceremonial gathering held by Aboriginal Australians that brings together song, dance, music, body decoration, and storytelling around fires after sunset. The word comes from caribberie, a term from the Dharug language of the Sydney region, which entered English shortly after the founding of the colony in 1788 and was applied across the continent by European observers.

Corroborees mark important events: initiations, the resolution of disputes, the passing of seasons, the welcoming of visitors, and the retelling of Tjukurpa (Dreaming) stories that explain the creation of the country and the laws of social life. Different language groups have their own words for the ceremony: bunggul for Yolngu people in north-east Arnhem Land, inma for Pitjantjatjara people in central Australia, ilma for Western Desert peoples. The English word corroboree covers all of these.

A traditional corroboree includes singers, often older men, who tap clapsticks or boomerangs in rhythm, accompanied by didgeridoo in the north of the country. Dancers, painted with ochre and wearing ceremonial decoration, perform movements that retell the stories encoded in the songs. The whole performance is a form of cultural memory, transmitting law, country, and kinship from one generation to the next without the use of writing.

Some corroborees are public events open to all visitors, including non-Indigenous people. Others are restricted to particular men or women, or to people who hold the right ceremonial authority. Visitors should be guided by traditional owners and follow the protocols of the community hosting the ceremony. Public corroborees are often performed at cultural festivals like Garma in north-east Arnhem Land, the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association festival, and at major events like the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.