Butchulla Rites of Passage Camps
Project Name
Organisation Name
Butchulla Men’s Business Aboriginal Association Inc.
Social Issue/Problem
Traditionally in Butchulla culture, when boys reached puberty, the initiated Aboriginal men would take the boys away and take them through their first initiation ceremony, thereby commencing their pathway to manhood and announcing to their families and the community that these young men were no longer children and had started their lives as responsible young men. Today, this practice no longer happens for young men and there is a current trend of young men trying to create their own initiation ceremonies through illegal means, e.g. committing theft and crime to gain status among their peers.
Solution
Butchulla Men’s Business will run a Butchulla Rites of Passage camp for young Aboriginal males and their fathers/ male relatives on culturally appropriate land within the Butchulla tribal boundaries (Hervey Bay, K’Gari). The Rites of Passage is a modern-day equivalent of the old Aboriginal Initiation Ceremony, which was the first step in taking Aboriginal boys on the journey to manhood. Butchulla Men’s Business will delivery the camp in partnership with WYLD Aboriginal Projects Bundaberg and the Rites of Passage Institute.
Outcome
TBC- currently in progress