yana marumba (Walk Good) | Quandamooka Festival & Wynnum Fringe

There was something incredibly special about attending yana marumba (Walk Good) at Greene Park in Wynnum. In partnership with Quandamooka Festival, we came together for a Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony by the Quandamooka people. I experienced a strong healing process as we sat during the ceremony and listened and watched the traditional songs and dances performed for us.

Image: Vivid Visual Co

It’s hard to describe the songs and the dances in exact detail as I must admit that I got swept up in the emotion of it all. I’m originally from Wellington, New South Wales, a small town in between Orange and Dubbo. I have strong connections to Wiradjuri Country, and I am the great grandson of a Wiradjuri elder, the same elder who also raised me for a big part of my life. My identity as a First Nations Australian is something that’s especially important for me and a connection I am proud of.

There was a moment during the smoking ceremony when I shut my eyes and felt a strong sense of peace. I touched the ground with my hands and gave thanks in my heart to the Quandamooka people for inviting me onto their land and allowing me to stand alongside them. I also thought about the men and women that came before me and the hardships that they had to endure for my freedom, through their work as activists to make sure that First Nations people could have equal opportunity.

As the smoking ceremony ended, we made our walk back to Edith Street. We walked with purpose, we walked in unity. The smoking ceremony represented letting go of the past and a coming together as one on sacred land. It didn’t matter what your race or culture was: it was a beautiful sight seeing everyone unified. The walk back we were accompanied by a car that used a speaker to broadcast stories of the history of the area we were walking on, with Indigenous sounds and music adding to the spoken narrative. It was emotional at times, but it was also uplifting and spoke about courage.

As we finally reached Edith Street there was a real sense of elation. The walk was powerful as we paid our respects, and we came together as one to begin a weekend of celebrating arts and theatre, diversity, and cultures. It was a fitting start to a great weekend and much gratitude to the Quandamooka people for allowing an important event like the Wynnum Fringe Festival to take place on their land.