A Different Mode of Exchange: the Mamurrng Ceremony of Western Arnhem Land

Abstract

In this article, I describe the unique set of circumstances that led to me becoming the recipient and focus of a Mamurrng ceremony performed by singers and dancers from the community of Warruwi on South Goulburn Island in 2012, and draw connections between the Mamurrng I received and similar diplomacy ceremonies held for Balanda in the recent past. I suggest that Mamurrng ceremonies continue to play an important role in contemporary society in western Arnhem Land, as many Balanda now permanently live and work in communities such as Warruwi, and a variety of intercultural interactions take place on a daily basis between different Aboriginal language groups and between Aboriginal people and no..