Indigenous History

When we look at Australian history of course there is much more that happened before white settlement. This map  of Indigenous Australia shows the different groups of people already living in Australia before 1788. 

10 Canoes

10 Canoes is a wonderful film that shows an aspect of traditional Indigenous life in Australia that we dont often get a chance to see. It's set in the north of Australia and is, essentially, a love story. It's a important film becuase it seeks to recreate as accurately as possible the life of the traditional people and situations of the time.
"The entire cast of the film are people indigenous to the Arafura Swamp area, mainly Ganalbingu and related clans, and were involved in developing the script, and responsible for the making of all the traditional artefacts needed for the film, such as the swamp-specific bark canoes, the spears and other weaponry, and the dwellings. "
10 Canoes - Teachers Guide.
Watch 10 Canoes.  ( I have a private copy on hard drive) ;  may also be available on Clickview or Youtube )
 
Here is a Youtube link to part one...( quality is not very good though) 
TASK EIGHT - Answer the following questions about the film 10 Canoes
  1. What was the name of the fat man who liked honey above everything else?
  2. How many wives did Minygululu have?
  3. What did Dayindi’s older brother tell him this story?
  4. Where did the single men live in Ridjimiraril’s time?
  5. Name and describe Ridjimiraril’s three wives.
  6. Why did Rigjimiraril think that his wife was still alive?
  7. Who killed the stranger’s brother?
  8. What is the purpose of the payback ceremony?
  9. What happens to people’s soul’s after they die in this culture?
  10. Why did the men sleep on platforms while they were out collecting geese eggs?
In this section, write around a page comparing the culture of the people in the older section of this film with your immediate culture for one of these topics. 
  1. Gender roles.
  2. Skills
  3. Tools
  4. Justice
  5. Family
  6. Death 


Rebellion and Indigenous revolt.

For much of Australia's history we have been led to believe that The British colonisation was pretty much a walk in the park with the indigenous population being passive and basically victims without any real say in the invasion.  As we learn more and more about the real history of colonisation we can see evidence of indigenous rebellion right across Australia. 

On Clickview watch Jandamarra's war.  ( check if i have dvd copy ) 

Study Guide for Jandamarra's War 

First Australians.

SBS copies of First Australians ( with ads )
Complete series on youtube 
TASK NINE: