87 minutes (Part I: 42 minutes, Part II: 44 minutes) Colour 1979
Film-maker: Ian Dunlop
Anthropologist: Howard Morphy
The way of coping with death among the Yolngu people of northeast Arnhem Land is through rites of clan, religion and land. The funeral is for a young child at an Aboriginal clan homeland settlement on the Gulf of Carpentaria. At these settlements today, modern technology such as motor trucks, aeroplanes, and radios are used, but the mortuary rites themselves are traditional, extremely complex and a living expression of the people's connection with the land. As a result of life on mission stations, the Yolngu have made some practical modifications to their traditional ceremonies. The dead are now buried in coffins; previously their bodies were temporarily buried or exposed on platforms, then months or even years later their bones were placed in standing painted hollow logs. Despite these modifications, traditional ritual remains extremely strong because Yolngu religion is a living one.
This film gives a very detailed explanation of the funeral, also explaining kinship structure, religious belief systems, and current social relationships between the various related Aboriginal groups. Some of the images of the film are haunting, particularly the burial itself. This is a film tailor-made for teaching and is of great value to specialists interested in Australian Aboriginal mortuary practices. The film is in two parts to fit three-quarter hour teaching periods. Its value is greatly increased by Howard Morphy's accompanying monograph, Journey to the Crocodile's Nest. Catalogue number (16mm): 9RA159 £21.
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H. Morphy, 1984. Journey to the Crocodile's Nest: An Accompanying Monograph to the Film `Madarrpa Funeral at Gurka'wuy' [with an afterword by I. Dunlop]. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.
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J. Reed, 1983. Sorcerers and Healing Spirits: Continuity and Change in an Aboriginal Medical System. Australian National University Press, Canberra.
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W.L. Warner, 1964 (1937). A Black Civilization: A Study of an Australian Tribe. Harper and Row, New York.
- N.M. Williams, 1986. The Yolngu and Their Land: A System of Land Tenure and the Fight for its Recognition. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.
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