Tjapukai

For a change, we went for an evening dining out and learning about the local aboriginal culture. The large airy Tjapukai building contained an impressive collection of aboriginal paintings and artwork.

Our fellow diners ranged from Japanese toddlers, elegantly made up Chinese, and older American, to expat Brits like ourselves.

Tjapukai means 'people of the rainforest', for thousands of years living between the region of Cairns to Port Douglas and inland to Kuranda. The venue is in a lovely setting beside water. A roaring fire keeps the midges at bay whilst we sip champagne and nibble emu and sweet potato canapés.

We enter an auditorium and the lights go dark. The beginning of Australia is spoofed from colonial times, then the commentary suddenly grinds to a halt and painted aboriginals enter the spotlight to tell their story many thousands of years old. Clever lighting introduces spirits and animal shapes twisting and shaking across the floor as the story unfolds of the age old contest between the wet and the dry. A Japanese toddler squeaks in terror at the snake light scurrying across the floor, followed by crocodiles, cassowary, and all the forest creatures.

Next, we are given clap sticks and go outside to stand in a circle, the wet group and the dry group, singing, chanting, stomping to start the fire ceremony. Our faces are painted.

I am called out to the centre where the fire sticks and tinder are ready. The chanting continues, we dance and rub the fire sticks, nurturing the heat from tiny curl of smoke to glowing ember, puffing up the flames of the twigs on the newly made fire. My takeaway is the gift of a returning boomerang, interestingly we live one km from the venue, so the sentiment that we may return often is easily shared.

From the ceremony, we head for the buffet, a feast of roo, croc, grouper, and trimmings. Finally, the aboriginals return to dance the hunting of the kangaroo, the banishing of the mozzies, and the feeding of the cassowaries.

The dancers then pose for fireside pics with the visitors.

We talk to the female dancer from Bamaga, Cape York, who loves meeting new people and wishes to travel to see indigenous people across the world, especially in Rio, Brazil. A fun evening.