HARD TIME NOWFOR THE CHILDREN

Ian Dunlop
Austria 1996 | 54 Min. | 16 mm, OmeU

A per­son­al film about Nar­ritjin May­mu­ru, a clan leader at the Abo­rig­i­nal town of Yir­rkala in north­east Arnhem Land, in the top end of the North­ern Ter­ri­to­ry. In the late 60s and early 70s Yirrkala’s iso­la­tion was shat­tered when a huge mining project and mining town were devel­oped on its doorstep. Nar­ritjin is an artist, thinker, and pas­sion­ate inter­preter of the world through his Yolngu beliefs. In 1974 he talks about the trou­bles at Yir­rkala, his eldest son’s drink­ing and his plans to move to his own clan land at Djar­rakpi. In 1976 Nar­ritjin has returned to Yir­rkala fol­low­ing the death of his eldest son. Ian Dunlop has brought back the film shot at Djar­rakpi. For Nar­ritjin the film embod­ies the spir­i­tu­al power of Djar­rakpi itself. Before it can be screened Nar­ritjin must sing over it and make it safe. This film was mainly edited with footage from 1973-74.