Smoking ceremony

A Smoking Ceremony practiced by an Indigenous Australian

A smoking ceremony is an ancient custom among Indigenous Australians that involves burning various native plants to produce smoke, which is believed to have cleansing properties and the ability to ward off bad spirits.^[1]

Although the 'smoking ceremony' is now thought of as purely symbolic or spiritual, traditional smoke fumigation modalities achieved positive therapeutic outcomes that were conceptualised as an 'exorcism' or 'cleansing'. Recent scientific research at the University of New England (Armidale, NSW Australia) has demonstrated that biologically active smoke artefacts are created during the heating process, using leaves from Eremophila longifolia (Emu Bush), which was one of the most widely employed plants for such smoking ceremonies.^[2]

Today smoking ceremonies are performed at major events, such as births and deaths.^[3]

References

Indigenous Australians

Peoples	Aboriginal Australians Australoids Blackfellas Communities Groups Half-castes Tasmanians Torres Strait Islanders Victorians Western Australians

Individuals	Activists Musicians People from politics and public service Performing artists Sportspeople Visual artists Writers

Culture	Astronomy Avoidance Bora Corroboree Deadly Awards Deities Dreaming Dreamtime Enumeration Flag Kinship Kurdaitcha Marn Grook Message stick Mythology NAIDOC National Indigenous Human Rights Awards Outstation movement Riji Seasons Sacred sites Smoking ceremony Songlines Tjurunga Torres Strait Islands Woggabaliri

Languages	Avoidance speech Australian Aboriginal English Macro-Gunwinyguan languages Australian Creole Language groups Loanwords into English Palawa Pama–Nyungan languages Placenames Sign languages Torres Strait Island languages

Organisations	ATSIC Aboriginal Medical Service Aborigines Advancement League Aborigines Progressive Association AIATSIS Australian Aboriginal Progress Association Australian Aborigines' League Central Land Council Media National Congress of Australia's First Peoples National Indigenous Council Northern Land Council Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations Politics TSRA Reconciliation Australia Sorry Day

Bushcraft	Boomerang Buka Bush bread Bushfood Bush medicine Coolamon Dugout canoe Fibrecraft Fire-stick farming Food groups Humpy Possum-skin cloak Scarred tree Soaks Spinifex resin Sweet foods Waddy Woomera

Arts	Artifacts Bark painting Contemporary visual art Dance Didgeridoo Music Music groups Rock NATSIA Award Papunya Tula Sandpainting Vibe Visual art Yininmadyemi

History	Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 Caledon Bay crisis Cummeragunja walk-off Day of Mourning Gurindji Strike Historical figures History Prehistory History wars King plates Massacres Black War Missions Native police Pilbara strike Pintupi Nine Tent embassy Western Australia

Issues	Crime Health Land rights Native title Protected Area Media portrayal Northern Territory National Emergency Response Self-determination Stolen Generations Half-Caste Act Voting rights 1967 Referendum

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