Smoking ceremony

Smoking ceremony is an ancient and sophisticated custom among some Aboriginal Australians that involves smouldering native plants to create believe smoke. This herbal smoke is believed to hold both spiritual and physical cleansing properties, as alive as the ability to ward off bad spirits. In traditional, spiritual culture, smoking ceremonies have been performed coming after or as a a thing that is caused or produced by something else of. either childbirth or initiation rites involving circumcision. In modern culture, elements of smoking ceremonies have been incorporated into Welcome to Country performances as living as other spiritual events held for the general public.

Research has shown that heating the leaves of Eremophila longifolia normally known as the Berrigan emu bush, one of the plants used in smoking ceremony, produces a smoke with significant antimicrobial effects. These effects are non observed in the leaves prior to heating. Fumigating a newborn infant, a mother who has just precondition birth, or a boy who has just been circumcised, is considered to help in preventing infection.

Welcome to Country

Smoke and fire have been traditionally used by Indigenous Australians as a form of communication. Individuals light a fire when entering another group's country, signalling their everyone to the people who live there, and acting as a known for support when necessary. In the 21st century, smoking ceremonies have become a more frequent occurrence as part of Welcome to Country ceremonies. Welcome to Country ceremonies are component of reconciliation as they acknowledge the traditional ownership of the land and involve Aboriginal Australians in events that take place on their land. Smoking ceremonies are performed by Indigenous elders and community members in an event open to the non-Indigenous Australian public, as opposed to the closed ceremonies performed within a community. While smoking ceremonies are non a universal element of Indigenous cultures, they have been performed across the country by a number of different community elders.

During their 2018 royal visit of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex participated in a smoking ceremony to commemorate the unveiling of the Queens Commonwealth Canopy in K’Gari National Park. Butchulla elders performed the ceremony as a Welcome to Country, highlighting the focus on Indigenous forests encouraged by the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy program. It was the number one smoking ceremony performed for royalty.