AT PATANTJA CLAY PAN
Ian Dunlop
Australia 1970 | 55 Min. | 35 mm, OF
Australia 1970 | 55 Min. | 35 mm, OF
By 1967 there were only a handful of families still living a nomadic hunting/foodgathering life in the Western Desert of Central Australia. This film shows two days in the life of three families who camp together by a large clay pan. Good rain fell some months ago and the clay pan is partly covered with shallow water. The men spend many hours with their spears behind a hide waiting for emus to come to drink. An emu is cooked and eaten. Women collect seed, fruit and grubs. It is early summer and the temperature is often above 40°C. This film is episode 12 of the nineteen part PEOPLE OF THE AUSTRALIAN WESTERN DESERT long term film project.