The Redfern Story (2014)

The National Black Theatre was a theatre company run by a small group of Aboriginal people based in the Sydney suburb of Redfern and which operated from 1972 to 1977. The original concept for the theatre grew out of political struggles, especially the land rights demonstrations, which at the time were being organised by the Black Moratorium Committee. The centre held workshops in modern dancing, tribal dancing, writing for theatre, karate and photography, and provided a venue for new Aboriginal drama. It also ran drama classes under Brian Syron, whose students included Jack Davis, Freddie Reynolds, Maureen Watson, Lillian Crombie, and Hyllus Maris. The company ran the Black Theatre Arts and Culture Centre from 1974 to 1977.

Aluna

Aluna means "conscience ". Enter the last theocratic chiefdom in America, hidden for centuries on a mountain in Colombia. The Kogi have made this amazing documentary to help us understand how to avoid the destruction of the world that they are trying to protect, and of ourselves.

The Men of Fifth World

At first glance this documentary seems to be a non-Indigenous production, that recycles some of the myths held about the Indigenous people of Australia. However, it does touch on some good points and the cinema-photography is excellent.

The Men of the Fifth World is a documentary that shows us some of the history, culture and traditions of the Australian Aborigines. The old Garimala Yakar, tells firsthand how their world is accompanied by the sound of the didgeridoo, the beat of their tradition, which keeps them together and attached to the land. These tribes have had to defend their country from the impositions of the white man when he came to Australia for the first time. The aboriginal culture has faded over time but they never cease to tell their story to the youngest and keep the hope that someday find their truth.

In the Kakadu National Park lies Ubirrok, where the Rainbow Serpent stopped after creating the world and was painted on a rock so that people could see her. Over time our forefathers left on the rocks a complete collection of images which depict their way of life and their beliefs. On these ancient rocks they also drew figures of the men of that time, warriors and hunters, who used the same spears and harpoons as we do now.

We share our land with all types of animals, some of them as dangerous the kangaroo is the most characteristic animal of my country.

When we get together to dance around the fire, we sing the dreams of the animals, the stories of how they were created. Those that dance and sing paint their faces and bodies with kaolin, to look like the spirits which, according to our beliefs, are of a grey colour. The dance of the women is slower and more measured. They are normally in a state of trance, possessed by the spirits of the forest which protect them.

The didgeridoo It’s our sacred instrument. The men who know how to play it are very important in our culture. With the didgeridoo they communicate our wishes to the spirits. And they call on them to come to our aid when tragedy befalls us. This sacred instrument brings us closer to the world of our ancestors. It is difficult to play, because you have to blow constantly, using the technique of circular breathing.

The didgeridoos are made by the ants. Our land, here in northern Australia, is the kingdom of the ants.

Our people were nomads, always moving from one place to another, carrying their few belongings with them. That is why we know the forest so well. In the forest, we know how to get everything we need. The men have always hunted and fished, while our women are expert gatherers. They know where to find edible fruits and roots, and how to get honey. The women have always worked in the forest, carrying out these tasks. No one knows nature like they do. Their work is very dangerous. They often come across the king brown, one of the most poisonous snakes in the world, its bite is always fatal.

Hunting and war have always been men’s work, and they have always made their own weapons. Without a doubt, the boomerang is the best known of these. They are pieces of wood carved with a slight curve, which makes them more accurate when they are thrown. In fact, the spear is our best weapon. We used them in our fight against the white men who invaded our country and drove us off the land that belonged to us. Our spears claim other victims. When the tide goes out, we fish for the dangerous sting rays. These are manta rays that hide in the sand, ready to plunge their enormous stings into anyone who dares disturb them.

Our coasts are full of animals, which traditionally provided us with food. When we have speared an animal, we throw a buoy into the water, with a long rope tied to harpoon. Whenever they catch a giant turtle, the fishermen arrange a feast, right there on the beach, to which all their relatives are invited.

“My people have always felt the need to express themselves through painting, now and since the beginning of time. Our art, now called aboriginal art by the white man’s tourist industry, is born from the dreams of each artist and the intense colours we see in our land.

Near the city of Darwin, my people call to the spirit of the king of the crocodiles with piercing cries.
It is a dance of invocation. It is performed whenever someone has to travel to an area where the powerful sea crocodiles live. They ask for its permission and protection, but the great spirit is always asleep, and so they have to cry out to wake him, so that he knows that people have gathered together to dance in his honour.

Dreamtime (2003)

Travelling through the Australian continent, one is often appalled by the living conditions of the Aborigine people. Having lost touch with their culture and traditions, many of them have become outcasts or alcoholics who aimlessly wander the streets of the Australian cities. From the early 1800s to the late 1960s, Aborigines were gradually deprived of their land by the white man who used it for herding, cropping, and mineral extraction. Forced to leave their homelands, Aborigines were often separated from their children, who were sent to live with white families or to boarding schools, in an attempt to teach them the white man’s values. Today 390,000 Aborigines account for less than 3% of the current Australian population. Learn how they are beginning to find their place in a society which has excluded them for so long. Meet and share the life of Aborigines who through art, dancing, hunting, work, or spirituality, are finding ways to better their future.

 Director: Eric Elléna
Producers: French Connection Films, Voyage, Boomerang Productions

Songlines, Dreamtime, and the Visionary Realm of the Aborigines

Songlines, Dreamtime, and the Visionary Realm of the Aborigines from Wade Davis on Vimeo.

National Geographic joins Wade Davis on a journey deep into the Australian outback to document the disappearing cultures of Australia's Aborigines, thought to be one of the oldest groups of peoples on earth. After losing clan members to disease, war, and famine-as well as battling enforced relocations-small Aboriginal clans must fight to keep traditions alive for the next generation.

A Conspiracy of Silence: The Killing Times of the Queensland Frontier

This is first systematic account of frontier violence in Queensland, Australia. Following in the tracks of the pastoralists as they moved into 'new' lands across the colony in the 19th Century, Dr Timothy Bottoms identifies massacres, poisonings and other incidents, including many that no-one has documented before.

The Sundance Ceremony /The Life of Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse)

Teaching of the Sundance and why we dance, the history, the outlawing, the youth,men, women and elders points of view. It does not show the ceremony but the preparations involved and work involved to make it happen. We were offered to film it but declined out of respect for the dancers and our people. You can teach people about the ceremonies without showing the ceremony. The only real way to learn is to go, watch, listen and help. It aired 10 years ago in March 0f 2003.

Told from the perspective of contemporary Lakota people, the film explores the life of Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witko). Viewers see the natural world of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana that Crazy Horse knew. His spiritual nature is discussed, as are his unique qualities as a leader. The final portion of the film examines his role at the Battle of Little Bighorn, his resistance against reservation life, and his violent death at Fort Robinson in 1877. Lakota people share what Crazy Horse means in their world today. The film features original music created for this story. Sharing their insights are Lakota historians Jace DeCory, Donovin Sprague, Wilmer Mesteth and Whitney Recountre.

This Is How You'll Make Your Bed in Prison (2010)

Vickie Lee Roach always felt like an outsider. As an Indigenous woman who was taken away from her mother at a young age, Vickie grew up between foster homes and youth shelters, later spending large portions of her life on the streets and also in prison.

While incarcerated in Dame Phyllis Frost prison Vickie pursued a university education, giving her a new perspective on human rights issues. During this time she learned that the Howard government had passed a bill banning all prisoners from voting in Federal elections. Outraged by this attack on the human rights of prisoners, Vickie decided to challenge this new law. For her it was an opportunity to speak out against the further exclusion of people in prison and to challenge all that the ban represented.

Assisted by committed lawyers, including Phil Lynch of the Human Rights Law Centre, the case made its way to the High Court of Australia, arguing that the right to vote is constitutionally protected. Although she couldn’t personally appear in court, and despite considerable personal risk as a prisoner daring to be prominent, Vickie eventually succeeded, resulting in a landmark decision which found that the Howard Government had acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally. It was a victory for representative democracy, accountable government, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights. It was also a personal victory for Vickie who was subsequently awarded the Tim McCoy Human Rights Award.

This outstanding short film offers an insight into both Australian human rights history and the life of Vickie Lee Roach, a woman who wasn't afraid to take on the highest powers to get back the most basic rights.

Directed, written and edited by Katie Mitchell, a post-graduate student at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, the film has played at festivals across Australia and internationally. It has also been recognised with the VCA Moving Clickers Award for Best Script and the VCA Film Victoria Award for Best Post-Graduate Diploma Documentary.

Yidaki: The Sound of the Didgeridoo (2007)

WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS THE IMAGES AND WORDS OF DECEASED PEOPLE

Yidaki' or didgeridoo is one of the oldest wind instruments in the world. Djalu Gurruwiwi is an Aboriginal Elder from Gove in the North East Arnhem Land and is the spiritual guardian of this ancient musical instrument. The yidaki is used for sacred Aboriginal Corroboree's and is only played by men. Djalu passes his knowledge down to his son and grandsons, explaining the fundamentals of the required techniques used in finding, making and playing the yidaki. Over half a million yidakis or didgeridoos are sold each year with no information of their historical importance. It is Djalu's responsibility as the custodian of the yidaki that he ensures that the education is passed onto the wider community and is maintained for the next generations. Jack Thompson eloquently narrates this engaging and beautifully filmed documentary.

Prime Minister Paul Keating on Mabo - Talk Back Radio - John Laws 1992

Anyone interested in Australia should watch this. The then Prime Minister Paul Keating taking live on air questions in 1993 about the so-called Mabo Decision (Mabo v Queensland (No 2)) that was made by the High Court in 1992. Keating fields questions on the John Laws radio show. He responds with intelligence and patience, while attempting to explain what had actually happened.
The Mabo decision should be considered historic as a legal decision on an international level as;

"The High Court held that the doctrine of terra nullius, which imported all laws of England to a new land, did not apply in circumstances where there were already inhabitants present - even if those inhabitants had been regarded at the time as "uncivilized". Consequently, the Court held that the rules of reception of English law that applied were not those applicable where the land was barren and unhabited, but rather the rules that applied where an existing people were settled."

Mabo was eventually curtailed by the Native Title Amendment Act 1998 introduced by the John Howard led Liberal Government. Since then there have been large Native Title claims granted but even they often contain lease hold clauses that allow for continued economic exploitation by non-Native, and more lately non-Australian, interests (e.g. the current Adani Mining Carmichael Coal venture is being made possible by the extinguishing of Native Title) . Furthermore, Native Title can be extinguished by state governments in Australia if claims are considered to be contrary to 'the national interest'. What is more 'in the national interest' than the people themselves, the majority of whom have long supported the recognition of Indigenous dispossession.

Mabo really was a missed opportunity. The results of the ultimate failure to work with the High Court decision (i.e. finally confirmed by the Native Title Amendment Act of 1998) and all the ideas and history it represented are still developing as potential impacts and consequences. Just the current Adani Mining Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Project is one example of how unsustainable economic interests are being imposed on people (i.e. THE national interest) via the Native Title Amendment Act 1998. It has been 25 years this new year of 2017 since Mabo 2 and it remains in the interest of all Australians to implement the original High Court decision and overturn the 1998 Act, organise a national tribunal that represents the relevant actors and formulate a new Act that will bring about both sustainable development within Native Title Lands and the recognition of Indigenous Dispossession.

Dark Science

The story of an early 20th century expedition to find the 'missing link' with the Indigenous people of Australia.

In 1910, a scientist called Erik Mjöberg led the first Swedish expedition to Australia. An entomologist by trade, Mjöberg’s brief was to document the native wildlife, but his underlying motivation was to explore the idea that Aborigines were the missing link between ape and man. Landing in Derby, Western Australia, he bought supplies, hired a bullock team and set off into the Kimberley with his increasingly fractious team, battling heat and flies until they got their first glimpse of “one of the oldest races in the world - the Australian negroes”.

Describing the Aborigines as “ugly”, “Neanderthal-like” and possessed of an “animalistic cunning”, Mjöberg set about plundering and desecrating their grave sites and smuggling the remains back home—actions that were to have lasting consequences for all concerned.

Shot in remote regions of the Kimberley in Australia and in Stockholm and Varberg Sweden, Dark Science uses diary sources, stunning black and white footage from the expedition and excerpts from Mjöberg’s novel Wings of Poison to provide a shocking glimpse into the mind of early 20th century Western man.

The remains Mjöberg took from the Kimberley were returned to Australia in 2004 by the Swedish Government, the first repatriation of human remains by a major European Museum.

Bush Mechanics - Ep1 - Motorcar Ngutju

Presented in the Warlpiri language. This is a classic. A video about cars in the bush and how the locals get around and keep the wheels turning, no matter what happens. The Bush Mechanics form a rock band and their first paying gig is a half-day's drive away - now they just have to get there. None of them own a vehicle, so they resurrect a derelict car, load it up with band gear and hit the road. This episode follows the five Bush Mechanics as they bounce along rough bush tracks, encountering Jupurrula, the magic mechanic who helps them overcome their various car catastrophes with his bush ingenuity.

Tribe Called Red (Summer Gig in Norway)

A Tribe Called Red deliver a blistering 45 minute set of electric pow wow music. Roots tunes for an indigenous planet.

A Tribe Called Red will be performing at the Riddu Riđđu festival in Sapmi (northern Norway) in July 2014 if you are on the peninsular at this time. I am working on being there, as it will be mind blowing.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE AUDIO HERE

JustJam is a weekly music show, brought to you by Tim & Barry, (Official photographers of Dizzee Rascal) every Wednesday between 7 and 9pm, on www.dontwatchthat.tv

John Pilger - The Secret Country (1986)

A TV documentary adaptation by John Pilger, The Secret Country is first a disturbing account of the genocide that took place in Australia under colonial settlement. It then details the struggle and successes of the Aboriginal people of Australia from the 1970s to the 80s. I finished high school in rural Queensland the year this program was broadcast. I read Pilger's book A Secret Country when I started university in the late 1980s and it was a total revelation for me. As Pilger states in this program, there was the official version of events that were taught in school, and then there was the truth. I was shocked by this truth and it has effected my whole life since I learned of it. Today things have continued to change for indigenous Australians and the majority community in Australia. Since this program was made we have had Mabo, The Bringing them Home Report, Little Children are Sacred and the Intervention. The attitude towards Aboriginal people in Australia by the wider community has shifted, for the better I am tempted to say. However, there remains no elected collective body for decision making for Aboriginal peoples (ATSIC was abolished in 2005) and health, education and economic conditions for Aborigines remain extremely poor in many parts of the country. Land disputes are still common and Aboriginal incarceration is totally disproportionate. Deaths in police custody of Aboriginal people are regular. Australia must still come to terms with its horrific colonial past and address the inequality and injustices of the present time.

Marlon Brando Interview 1973

Brando on The Dick Cavett Show, June 12, 1973. With representatives of the Cheyenne, Pyramid Paiute and Lummi tribes.


Sacheen Littlefeather refusing to accept the Best Actor Oscar® on behalf of Marlon Brando for his performance in "The Godfather" - the 45th Annual Academy Awards® in 1973. Liv Ullmann and Roger Moore presented the award.

A Tribe Called Red

MicroFilm: A Tribe CalledRed
Last month, Guillaume Decouflet made his way to the Electric Pow Wow in Ottowa and sat down with A Tribe Called Red to talk party music, urban indigineity, and upending racist stereotypes through multimedia artwork. Cluster Mag is proud to host Decouflet’s account of the experience; a short film-documentary assembled from his interview, a little bit of party footage, and the audio-video work of Bear Witness, one of ATCR’s three members. Decouflet’s native language is French, so to reach out to the States, Canada, and beyond, we thought we’d include a French original, and our own English translation. Enjoy.

(Source: theclustermag.com)

A tribe Called Red; Native Puppy Love

Northern Arnhem Land dances at the Barunga Festival

Men from northern Arnhem Land perform traditional dancing at the yearly Cultural Festival in Barunga, an Aboriginal community south of Arnhem Land, near Katherine in the Northern Territory, Australia.

The Block

A brief history of The Block in Redfern, Sydney, including a talk and rally and details of the ongoing struggle of indigenous people in the area.


The Block: Lives, Plans & Futures
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Deadly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance

Once a year, in Laura (Queensland Australia), some Aborigines and Torres Strait tribes from Cape York and beyond meet for 3 days of traditional music and dancing.

Yidinyji Aboriginal Dancers, Cairns region
Performance of Yidinyji men and boys, from the Cairns region. They carry the large wooden shields, typical of the rainforest Aboriginal groups of this region. In this dance the traditional making of fire is depicted; at the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival, Cape York, in Far North Queensland, Australia.


This 1988 film shows some of the songs and dances of the Lardil people of Mornington Island and the Borroloola community. Of particular interest is the use of the overtone note in the didgeridoo accompaniment. The sugarbag (Wild Honey) dance with didgeridoo accompaniment is one of the more popular dances performed by Aboriginal groups in Queensland, NSW and Victoria today.

BabaKiueria

Part One


Part Two


Part Three

BabaKiueria is a 1986 Australian satirical film on relations between Indigenous Australians and Australians of European descent.

The opening scene depicts a group of uniformed Indigenous Australians coming ashore in a small boat, watched by various European Australians engaged in typical beach side activities. The group from the boat approaches one of these and asks, "What do you call this place?", receiving the reply, "Er... 'Barbecue Area'."

The plot revolves around a role-reversal, whereby it is the Indigenous Australians who have invaded the land of stereotypical European Australians - the fictitious country of BabaKiueria. It presents many contemporary Aboriginal issues including white people as a minority, the unequal treatment of whites by the police, white children are taken from their families or white people being moved because the government needs their home for "something". The paternalistic policies of the BabaKiueria government are defended by Wagwan, the Minister for White Affairs (Bob Maza).

The film won the 1987 United Nations Media Peace Prize.