Embedded Files
Trance
1
an old woman's eyes mist over
ghost gums begin to dance
fire light flickers
the night air prepares its exit
hunched in her possum skin cloak
the dawn breeze chills
a whisper inside her trance
the sound of instinct
2
in her mind she observes both
the hardness of the trunks
and the softness of bark
and requires neither
she floats in a pituri haze
among the river of trees
bleached sand burns her skin
she enjoys the sensation
heat is the love of the campfire
the yellow kiss of the sun
the passion that flows after hunting
and life, before her man died
in her trance she observes
the hard and soft of trees
branches uplift his bark-bound body
there is no request more sacred
heat was a grip with fingers entwined
the firmness of his torso
the instrument of his voice
his smile missing in her empty hand
Form (Structure)
Form (Structure)
Written in two Parts
Part 1 has 2 Quatrains and is about the Physical
Part 2 has 5 Quatrains and is about the Metaphysical and Spiritual
Word Bank
Word Bank
Reflection, Memory, Dreaming, Healing, Rumination, Disassociated
Brief Explanation
Brief Explanation
Portrayal of an Aboriginal women preparing to go into a trance like state and then perform the ritual burying of her dead partner. The partner's body is wrapped in bark, and then placed up inside the tree on a platform. These are burial practices common to many First Nations. You can find more information here below in the attached document.
The woman is in an altered state, a reflection on love, loss and nature.
This poem is in two sections (labelled ‘1’ and ‘2’). In the first, an old woman prepares to enter a trance. Several clues suggest that she is Aboriginal Australian: this is her cultural context.
In the second section, the poet describes the experience of her trance state in which she ‘floats in a pituri haze’. Pituri is made of leaves and ashes; it is traditionally chewed by Aboriginal people as part of spiritual rituals. The trance helps the old woman to feel closer to the natural world around her and to connect with the ancestors spiritually.
The poem reveals that she was once in love, but that her lover is dead and that she misses him. These clues help to shape her identity: someone who now looks back on love as a thing of the past.
Culture in Trance
Culture in Trance
Nature is seen as a "teleport" between two worlds
The persona is able to connect with her deceased husband through memories
Family is the main motif; both the living and the dead - making references and showing the connection between persona and her husband
A strong connection to land
A strong connect to cultural traditions
"possum skin cloak"
Annotations
Annotations
Analysis Table
Analysis Table
COMPLETE THIS PEEL PARAGRAPH
COMPLETE THIS PEEL PARAGRAPH
How does Ali Cobby Eckermann's choice of language communicate aspects of her collective identity?
How does Ali Cobby Eckermann's choice of language communicate aspects of her collective identity?
Cultural beliefs and connections to nature can reflect the collective identity of Aboriginal people. We see this intimate relationship between the natural environment and cultural identity through Cobby Eckermann's use of poetic language in Trance - a poem about an Aboriginal women in a trance like state due her dead partner. Cobby Eckermann's use of alliteration with repeated ‘b’ sounds in the description “Branches uplift his bark-bound body” creates union between the man's body and the bark thus embodying the oneness of his culture and the land. Furthermore, the . . . .
Page updated
Report abuse