1. Babies
2. Bilingual books
3. Board books
4. Culture
5. Indigenous languages
6. Jawoyn people (N57)
7. Music
8. Plants
9. Rites and ceremonies
10. Singing

This board book opens to a reflective mirror surrounded by a beautiful hand-woven mat. This is an invitation to readers to view themselves. Following is a photographic account of the baby smoking ceremony, practiced by the Jawoyn people for thousands of years. It involves smouldering various native plants to produce smoke believed to have healing and cleansing properties and the ability to ward off bad spirits and protect the child. The double page spreads show an Aboriginal baby held gently by an adult’s hands warmed by the fire—first the head, then the ears, eyes, chin, shoulders, hands, knees and finally the feet. A double page reveals the baby crawling alongside the smoke, with three playful children running about. The final double page spread shows small photographs of the native plants, their location, the smoking area preparations followed by the baby being gently held as part of the smoking ceremony.

An accompanying DVD features the song ‘Holdimbal Beibi Smokimbat Beibi’ created by singer and songwriter Shellie Morris of the Banatjarl Strongbala Wimun Grup for the na-walkwalk-kan (children) of the Katherine region. The songs are recorded and sung in Jawoyn and Kriol by Shellie Morris and the Bantijarl Strongbala Wimun Grup. The first teaching resource features this song and the ceremony.

1. ICTVPLAY Smokimbal Beibi video Clip with Song https://ictv.com.au/video/item/2154
2. ABC Education 28 Jun 2022 ‘ABC Open: Holdimbat Beibi, Smokimbat Beibi: Aboriginal baby ritual’ https://www.abc.net.au/education/abc-open-holdimbat-beibi-smokimbat-beibi-aboriginal%c2%a0baby%c2%a0ritual/13949658
3. The Guardian 9 Jul 2018 ‘Welcoming babies to country: the Indigenous ceremony revived after 80 years’ by Ben Smee https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jul/09/welcoming-babies-to-country-the-indigenous-ceremony-revived-after-80-years
4. Queensland Government, Queensland Studies Authority. ‘Birth ceremonies, totems and rites in Aboriginal society’ https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach2/indigenous_res012_0804.pdf
5. Jawovn Association, Sharing Our Country. ‘Banatjarl wimum keep strong’. https://www.jawoyn.org.au/banatjarl-wimmun-keep-strong/