Backbencher

The movie Ten Canoes, directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, gives an insight into the pre-European Aboriginal world unlike anything I've experienced. The movie has quite an odd setup in that it is a story within another story. The narrator (David Gulpilil) tells a story of an Aborigine man of the Yonglu tribe telling his younger brother, Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), an ancestral story while on a traditional goose egg hunting expedition. Both stories are set in northern Australia near the Arafura Swamp. The ancestral story, told by Minygululu (himself), depicts the succession of events dealing with a young Yonglu tribesman Yeeralparil (also Jamie Gulpilil) who secretly obsesses over his older brother's youngest wife. The story is meant to teach Dayindi a lesson deterring him from desiring Minygululu's wife. Neither of the stories has nail-biting, edge-of-your seat action, but that's what is most attractive about this movie.

Ten Canoes really avoids the Hollywood route, and attempts to look at the Yonglu tribe with outsider perceptions and bias at a minimum. I thought the film not only did a great job in showing the day-to-day life and often humorous interactions, but also in bringing many interesting traditions performed by the Yonglu into the film. The traditions that stick out in my mind are the yearly goose egg hunting expeditions, the death dance, and the law of the Makaratta (punishment for murder which allows for spears to be thrown at the perpetrator until he or she is hit).

The authenticity of the film is definitely something I questioned after viewing this film, but further research has shown me that this may be as authentic as it gets. For one, the whole cast is of native Aborigine descent, and it is the first film shot fully in a native Aborigine dialect. Another reassuring factor into its authenticity is the overwhelming positive reaction it got in the Aborigine community. Many felt the film was in many ways a preservation of their history and a great source of pride. After viewing this film, it seems hard to find a reason why one wouldn't be proud to be a part of this Aborigine culture.