To mark the official start of the 2023 whale season, Traditional Owners of The Whitsundays will host a special ‘welcome to the whales’ ceremony from 5pm on Friday 16 June.
The sacred Indigenous event at Airlie Beach Foreshore will be held in partnership with local organisations including Tourism Whitsundays and Master Reef Guides of the region, and will be followed by a movie night presented by Whitsundays Reef Guardian Council.
Archaeological research suggests that Aboriginal people have inhabited The Whitsundays for at least the past 9000 years, and they hold a deep cultural connection to the whales. Master Reef Guides – who are champions of the Great Barrier Reef and work closely with high-standard tourism businesses and bodies that operate throughout the World Heritage-listed wonder – regularly consult with First Nations peoples to learn from their teachings regarding whales in The Whitsundays.
“There’s no doubting our First Nations peoples’ profound understanding of the habits of whales within the area. By working with the Traditional Owners of The Whitsundays, we’ve gained very valuable insights to ensure we’re adequately respecting and protecting marine life in the region, especially this time of year,” says Crystal Lacey, Director of Little Fish Tourism and member of the Master Reef Guides programme – an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators and Tourism and Events Queensland.
“We’re truly grateful to the Traditional Owners for allowing The Whitsundays community to participate in formally welcoming the whales this year, as well as the many other cetaceans – that is, dolphins and porpoises – which also live and visit the area,” adds Ms Lacey.
The event will see Traditional Owners in full traditional dress lead the ‘welcome to the whales’ ceremony. Open to locals and tourists, children are encouraged to wear blue to the ceremony. The Traditional Owners will invite children to be painted in traditional markings. As per Indigenous custom, boys will be marked by male Traditional Owners and girls will be marked by female Traditional Owners.
Children will then be guided to put their hand-prints on a traditional painting of a mother and calf Humpback to signify the community’s bond and connection with the whales. In keeping with long-established First Nations ritual, a smoking ceremony will then take place, before an ancient whale chant sung by the Traditional Owners.
Following the ceremonial proceedings, representatives of the Ngaro people will speak about their cultural connection with the whales, what the start of the whale season means to the Traditional Owners of the region, and the deep-seated cultural significance of the season’s first arrival of whales to The Whitsundays.
A film by Master Reef Guides about The Whitsundays and the cetaceans that live and visit the area will follow the ceremony, before the commencement of Whitsundays Reef Guardian Council’s alfresco screening of The Snail and the Whale movie at 6pm.
The Whitsundays is on track to become the world’s first Whale Heritage Area within a World Heritage-listed site. Currently, Hervey Bay on the Fraser Coast is the sole Whale Heritage Area within Australia.
Those lucky enough to capture imagery of whales within The Whitsundays are encouraged to upload their imagery to GBRMPA’s Eye on the Reef app to assist with tracking and long-term monitoring of marine wildlife.
For more information about The Whitsundays, visit tourismwhitsundays.com.au
WELCOME TO THE WALES CEREMONY BY TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF THE WHITSUNDAYS
WHEN: Friday 16 June 2023, from 5pm-6pm AEST
WHERE: Airlie Beach Foreshore, The Whitsundays
WHY: Marking the official start of The Whitsundays’ 2023 whale season (June – October)
*Source:Susan Darwiche, Senior Publicist, susand@vervepr.com.au vervepr.com.au
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