Among all the different types of journey that people undertake there are also those of a spiritual nature. Some of the trips we do in our lives are purely for pleasure, some are meant to make us stronger, sometimes we travel to explore and learn, and in all of these undertakings we grow and become wiser.
There is a lot we can learn from the land that surrounds us and the best way to acquire that knowledge is by traveling and experiencing. This ancient aboriginal initiation ritual involves exactly this: a long spiritual hike across the native land. Although widely known as “Walkabout,” in later years the ritual has been referred to as “temporary mobility,” because the former is often used as an insulting term in Australian culture.
A young man on Walkabout
Historically speaking, the walkabout is a ceremony of passage in which young (adolescent) Aboriginal Australians undertake a journey that will help “transform” them into adults. The journey is usually made between the ages of 10 and 16. During this journey which can last for up to six months, the individual is required to live and survive all alone in the wilderness.
This is not an easy thing to do, especially not for teenagers. That is why only those who have proven themselves mentally and physically ready are allowed to proceed with the walkabout. Only the elders of the group decide whether it is time or not for the child to do it. The children are not completely unprepared for the journey. During the years before the walkabout, the elders instruct them and give them advice about the ceremony and adult life in general; they have been passed the “secrets” of the tribe, the knowledge about their world.
Aboriginal woman
Those who are initiated in the walkabout are also decorated with body paint and ornaments. Sometimes they are marked with a permanent symbol on their bodies. In some cases, a tooth is removed from the mouth, or the nose or ears of the initiated are pierced. Traditional walk about clothes include only a simple loin cloth and nothing more.
During a walkabout, a young person can sometimes travel a distance of over a 1, 000miles. In order to survive this long hike, the participant in the walkabout must be able to make their own shelter and must be capable of obtaining food and water for themselves.
That means he needs to hunt, catch fish, and also recognize and use edible and healing plants. The initiated youngster must learn to identify plants such as bush tomatoes, Illawarra plums, quandongs, lilly-pillies, Muntari berries, wattle seeds, Kakadu plums, and bunya nuts.
【小题1】What can be referred from the first two paragraphs of the passage?| A．Australians like to engage in all kinds of travel. | B．People can gain knowledge through travel. |
| C．Travel is usually purely for pleasure. | D．Walkabout is a long spiritual journey. |
| A．All young Australians are required to live alone in the wilderness. |
| B．The difficulties they experienced in hiking turned them into adults. |
| C．Walkabout should only be done if they are mentally and physically prepared. |
| D．Walkabout is an unprepared test for the young Aboriginal Australians. |
| A．Identifying directions. | B．Preserving physical strength. |
| C．Planting plants. | D．Hunting and fishing. |
| A．Only people who have experienced torture are qualified to the walkabout. |
| B．Women must decorate themselves with body paint and ornaments. |
| C．To survive, the participants need to acquire certain survival skills. |
| D．Native women are not required to participate in the walkabout. |
