By
Laura Hyde |
Seabourn held an official naming ceremony for its latest purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, at Ngula Jar Island in Australia. In an industry first, the vessel was christened by the Wunambal Gaambera people, the traditional owners of Australia’s Kimberley region.
The day-long ceremony, which took place on 29 June, honoured the Wunambal Gaambera Country, people and Kimberley region, and guests were able to immerse themselves in Aboriginal culture and history throughout the event. Seabourn chose the Kimberley region as the site for the christening because it “represents everything for which the ship is intended, while also affording the opportunity for the line to create a lasting relationship with Wunambal Gaambera as an investment in sustainable tourism”.
Guests and crew celebrate on Zodiacs alongside Seabourn Pursuit off the coast of Ngula Jar Island
Guests were welcomed with a ‘jimɨrri’, a Wunambal Gaambera welcome and smoking ceremony.
“Our smoking ceremony is done for visitors so that our old people’s spirits won’t follow them,” said Lillian Karadada, one of the Wunambal Gaambera traditional owners.
Wunambal Gaambera welcome and smoking ceremony, which is known as a ‘jimɨrri’
Afterwards, traditional owners painted in ochre performed a ‘Junba’, a traditional story-telling song and dance.
Guests also visited ancient rock art sites and heard local stories. Seabourn and Wunambal Gaambera traditional owners exchanged gifts during the ceremony to celebrate their new relationship, which Seabourn feel serves as a “symbolic gesture of stewardship and responsibility toward the environment and the communities” the cruise line visits.
Wunambal Gaambera traditional owners perform the ‘Junba’ song and dance
The day culminated with the official naming ceremony in both the Wunambal Gaambera language and English, during which representatives from the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation wished Seabourn Pursuit an abundance of blessings.
In keeping with maritime tradition, the godparents smashed a bottle against the ship’s bow to bring good luck to the ship and all who sail on it. They used a specially made bottle crafted from sugar and coated with sand from Ngula Jar Island to further celebrate and show respect to the land.
Guests and crew onboard cheered as a specially made bottle smashed against the ship’s bow in time-honoured maritime tradition
“This day marks a very special event with the christening of Seabourn Pursuit, our newest ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship,” said Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn, which is also making a donation to assist Wunambal Gaambera to develop a self-sustaining industry for producing authentic works of art and crafts. “This is a wonderful maritime tradition, and today is extra special for us because we asked the Wunambal Gaambera to be the ship’s godparents, which marks the beginning of long sustainable partnership between our brand and this community. We know our guests visit these wonderful places in the world because they believe in the transformative power of travel, and today we celebrate exactly this.”
Catherine Goonack, chair of the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, said: “We are honoured to be the godparents of Seabourn Pursuit and share our culture with their crew and guests. It’s good to see our people working on country and sharing our unique culture in the right way. Living and working on country is important for us. When we are living and speaking language on country, we are healthy. Thank you, Seabourn, for your support. Biyanga graa winya – welcome.”