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A typical location where a Yarning Circle might be practiced

A Yarning Circle is an Indigenous Australian ritual where participants come together to share, learn from each other, develop unprejudiced and respectful relationships with all other individuals involved, and communicate oral tradition. This is achieved primarily through the medium of storytelling, whether individuals are relaying information about their own experiences or expressing intangible ideas through allegory, and relies on Dadirri, a reflective, contemplative, and open state of mind, to succeed. Practiced extensively throughout history, Yarning Circles today can be found not only in their native settings, but also commonly in contexts of education, bonding, discussion, Indigenous recognition, and communication in wider Australian culture.

Description

Universal Practices

The observance of a Yarning Circle is, by nature, a flexible undertaking but, across all Yarning Circles, participants exhibit a number of distinguishable practices when partaking in the ritual. To begin, participants arrange themselves into a circle, standing or sitting, putting into action the tenet that every person who is now a part of the circle is equal to every other. This enables any participant to make direct eye contact with any other member of the circle, engage in the use of body language when sharing or listening, and communicate with any other member in uniform exchanges. It also prepares participants to listen to the words of each of their peers without exception, placing them in the state of mind encouraged by the circle, 'Dadirri'. From here, participants will engage in storytelling or yarning by relating their experiences or retelling stories laden with cultural significance. Every individual is permitted to share in this manner; a fundamental characteristic of the execution of a Yarning Circle, and is encouraged to focus their words on their own strengths when sharing their experiences, a standard that all participants must maintain. Finally, in listening to one another, participants must also reflect on the shared words so that they may benefit, whether by growing, healing, or coming to understand themselves and other group members with greater clarity.

Unique Practices

Many Yarning Circles make use of one or more practices that are either unique to the context that that Circle is being practiced in or are not practiced universally in Yarning Circles. Fire plays an important part in some, either as an element of a greater ritual that the Circle is a part of, or simply as the location that brings the participants together. When greater control over whosoever wishes to speak at a given time is desired, a message stick is passed about the group to identify the lone speaker and physicalise the stories as flows from one person to another. In situations where participants are not as familiar with one another, or in formal settings, introductions may be used at the beginning of the ritual to immediately close the distance between participants. Leaders will sometimes be employed to guide participants who might be unfamiliar with the ritual by making use of devices such as the message stick, overseeing the flow of conversation in the group, or starting off the yarning with themselves. In some instances where Yarning Circles are practiced in Indigenous Australian communities, they will host or serve as a part of initiation rites, and will be adapted to the needs of whatever group is observing the rite.

In Ceremonial Contexts

The makeup of more specific variations of ceremonial Yarning Circles is largely unknown to wider audiences because of the rapid erasure of many of the practicing cultures, the oral nature of their observances, and the subsequent lack of any records, written or otherwise, on their practice. However, certain instances of ceremonial Yarning Circles, such as one used in an initiation rite of the Kamilaroi Tribe called the 'Bora', were observed and recorded in detail. This particular record describes, meticulously, the construction of the Yarning Circles, the unique ritualistic nuances paid attention to by the constructors, the subsequent observance of the ritual and the part the Yarning Circle had to play in it, and the people partaking in it. This record reveals how Yarning Circles can also be used as constituent entities in larger, more elaborate rituals, and how the functions of a Yarning Circle are utilized to impact a broader context.

History

The roots of Yarning Circles lie in the timeless, universal practice of people relaying stories to one another and engaging in care and communication with each other. Indeed, the ubiquitous nature of this means similar rituals have sprouted up in other cultures around the world, notably among the indigenous peoples of Canada and North America, where groups such as the Lakota and Ojibwe practice their own variations of the ritual. However, in developing unique, culture-specific traits such as Dadirri, Yarning Circles became a distinct ritual practiced by the Indigenous peoples of Australia. This departure from a storytelling ritual to one laced with cultural and religious significance can not be pinpointed to a certain moment in history nor its progression over time tracked due to the lack of record keeping in the practicing cultures. Instead, while it is only possible to know with certainty what Yarning Circles look like today and what they have looked like from observers' perspectives since Australia's colonisation, we can glean some information on how they developed from the oral traditions utilised by cultures that have practiced Yarning Circles throughout their histories. These claim that Yarning Circles, in their fundamental listening component 'Dadirri', have a history of 40,000 years. The development of Yarning Circles over time to incorporate culture-defining beliefs and to play a significant part in the initiation rites of certain groups can also be seen in the ideas of Dadirri and the 'Bora' respectively.

Ethos

Yarning Circles engender participants to an ethos that encourages growth and transparency, buoyed up by a number of key tenets.

Dadirri

Among the aforementioned tenets, Dadirri is the most apparent, evident as it is in much of the ritual in the participants who are listening. In the words of Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann it is "inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness." Dadirri is about devoting one's self, inside and out, to listening. In a Yarning Circle, someone exercising Dadirri will listen patiently to the speaker, seek to learn from the words they are saying, but not reflect too deeply; it is about being aware and letting the passage of time bring about whatever needs to happen. In contemporary contexts where Yarning Circles are used as devices in wider Australian culture, this practice of listening with intent focuses more on the intentional growth, in learning and attaining harmony and peace, that can happen from this sharing.

Equal Standing

A concept that all Yarning Circles rely on is that all participants come to the circle as equals aware that whatever they say will be respected, and that the environment created is a non-judgmental one. This is paramount to the success of the Yarning Circle, whether its participants are partaking in a greater initiation ritual or simply coming together to share with one another, as it requires the transmission of information to be without hindrance in order for the intended learning, healing, bonding etc. to occur. With this kind of environment in place, participants can share without fear and with confidence because the circle is about sharing and listening with unconditional respect, not criticism, constructive or otherwise.

Strengths Based

The last key tenet is a strengths-based approach to communication. Yarning Circles, while similar to more familiar and generic discussion circles, are not intended as tools with which to solve problems, though they may form part of a greater solution. With this end in mind, and with the intention of building strengths rather than demolishing them, individuals are encouraged to share strengths with the circle and limit whatever discourse they wish to engage in to positive ideas.

As a whole, the ethos of Yarning Circles, in its emphasis on patient waiting, listening, and awareness and respect of one's surrounds, is emblematic of Indigenous Australian culture.

Uses in Wider Australian Culture

In wider Australian culture Yarning Circles see use in a variety of contexts as a space for Indigenous Australians to connect with one another and the wider community they live in, a way for other cultures to improve their awareness of and acknowledge the culture of the land they live in, a learning device, and simply as the effective ritual they have always been. In these contexts Yarning Circles are often treated as more general discussion circles and the unique elements and ethos evident in the Circles practiced as rituals are often overlooked in favour of a greater goal that the Circle will work towards.

Use by Indigenous Australians

Ipswich Hospital is one of many institutions in Australia where a dedicated space for Yarning Circles has been installed on the grounds

Indigenous Australians who live in multi-cultural communities within Australia have introduced Yarning Circles, either by their own initiative or the initiative of institutions they engage with. These Yarning Circles provide a space for Indigenous Australians to speak in a ritualised way that is familiar to them, and thereby access comfort in whatever community they live in. Yarning Circles have been introduced in this manner to provide a forum for Indigenous Australians to speak on issues in their community such as the conditions of local housing, to provide a space that could help address issues in Indigenous Australian patients leaving hospital against the advice of medical professionals who have been attending to them, and to provide a way for Indigenous Australians to share their thoughts on constitutional recognition so that they may play an active role in the furtherance of said cause. These Yarning Circles are by no means exclusive, and people of other cultures are welcome to participate as listeners or speakers themselves.

Use by Non-Indigenous Australians

Yarning Circles have seen use in a variety of contexts in wider Australian culture, notably in environments where the primary purpose is to educate. With education in mind, Yarning Circles are used, in most instances, to teach participants about Indigenous Australian culture, and to teach participants about each other or a topic of conversation, as Yarning Circles have always done. Used in this manner, at all levels of education, Yarning Circles provide an excellent environment for bonding, reflecting, growing, learning, and cultural awareness.

To facilitate bonding, Yarning Circles provide useful ways for students to introduce themselves and form connections with a larger group in contexts that temporarily suspend some of the normal conventions of social interaction. As tools for reflection on experiences or posed questions, teachers make use of Yarning Circles as group-based work that encourages communication skills among students, collaborative work, and contemplation. For growth, the strengths-focused yarns shared within a Yarning Circle provide a positive environment for participants to appreciate the worth of themselves and others. For learning, whether through ideas discussed in the group or questions put forward by a teacher, Yarning Circles provide excellent circumstances for students to learn through deliberate and cooperative contemplation. And in promoting cultural awareness, Yarning Circles succeed through the intentional incorporation of an Indigenous Australian ritual that also exposes participants to the indigenous culture of the land they are living on and encourages an understanding of the culture and its values.