Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Hana Smištíková Archetypal Features in Australian Cinema: Representation of Aborigines Bachelor‟s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: PhDr. Jitka Vlčková, Ph. D. 2013 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author‟s signature Acknowledgement I would like to thank to my supervisor PhDr. Jitka Vlčková, Ph.D. for her guidance and help. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 5 1. THE ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................................... 9 1.1. Lost child ............................................................................................................................ 9 1.1.1. Children and the environment ....................................................................................... 10 1.1.2. Teenage dilemma and “decolonization”........................................................................ 12 1.1.3. Aboriginal notion of country ........................................................................................... 14 2. THE BLACK TRACKER ....................................................................................................................... 18 3. THE BATTLER(S) ................................................................................................................................. 21 4. PERVADING TOPICS ......................................................................................................................... 24 4.1. Sticking together ........................................................................................................... 24 4.1.1. Yolngu Boy and Rabbit Proof Fence .............................................................................. 24 4.1.2. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Fringe Dwellers ........................................27 4.2. Racism .............................................................................................................................. 29 4.3. Assimilation ..................................................................................................................... 34 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................................. 37 WORKS CITED ................................................................................................................................................ 41 ENGLISH RESUMÉ ........................................................................................................................................ 45 CZECH RESUMÉ .............................................................................................................................................. 46 Introduction The encounter of Europeans and Australian Aboriginal people was problematic from the very beginning. Due to different languages, traditions and the whole culture and mentality, these two groups were unable to understand and appreciate each other‟s perspective: “Communication was minimal and the cultural gulf was huge” (Encyclopaedia Britannica 9). In course of time the situation developed, and mostly during the second half of the 20th century it changed for better. One of the first steps was the referendum in 1967 that recognized Aborigines as citizens1. According to Ward the result of the referendum “marked the beginning of a new era in relations between black and white Australians”. (302) Another successes in Aboriginal rights were the “Mabo decision”2 and the “apologies for stolen generations3.” The development of mutual relationship is illustrated by the film industry; the most visible aspect is an increasing number of films with Aboriginal themes 1 For more information see “1967 Referendum” 2 Mabo and others v. Queensland (generally referred to as the Mabo case or decision) was a break-through decision in recognizing the native title rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the first time ever in Australia. In 1992 The High Court of Australia decided to reject the terra nullius concept (no man's land) and thus recognized the presence of Aboriginal Australians in Australia before the European settlement. For further information see: “Mabo v Queensland (No 2)” 3 The term “Stolen Generations” is used for Aboriginal people who were forcefully taken away (“stolen”) from their families between the 1890s and 1970s (A Guide to Australia's Stolen Generation), as is suggested most of them had never seen their families again. These people were taken from the environment full of love; however, it was not corresponding to the standards of the white society. Rather soon after the “children removal policy” was stopped the individual politicians started to apologize for the misconduct of their predecessors. This was started by Western Australia's prime minister in 1997 (undoubtedly at least partly caused by release of Bringing them Home Report – an inquiry that contained testimonies of people directly affected by the “Stolen generation policy” for more see “Bringing them Home”) and followed by his colleagues till 2001. (Past Government Apologies) The final, and the most important apology was delivered by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008, and it was well received by the public (for more information see “'Sorry' Apology to Stolen Generation”). 5 during the last two decades. “Women, Indigenous culture and multiculturalism now occupy a legitimized (though for the latter two, very much limited) space after years of neglect and misrepresentation.” (Zielinski 94) This opinion is shared by Peter Krausz who claims that: “Over 1,000 feature films have been produced in Australia, yet I could only identify around fifty films that represent Aborigines in any way at all within the narrative”, however, adding that “things are changing”. (1) Things are not changing only in numbers of Aborigines represented in Australian film, but also in the ways they are portrayed in these movies. The aim of this thesis is to examine Indigenous Australians in films as presented to the audience and prove that their representation is becoming more and more likeable and realistic. Moreover, in this thesis a link between the “Mabo” decision plus the apologies and depiction of Aborigines is examined. The thesis builds much on what Collins and Davis pointed out in their book Australian Cinema after Mabo as archetypes of Australian national cinema. These are the black tracker, the lost child, the bush, battler and the Australian landscape itself. (8) The first chapter, titled “The Aboriginal perspective”, is going to follow Collins and Davis by examining the role of some of the archetypes previously mentioned. However, the first sub-chapter “Lost Child” will, as the title itself suggests, analyse the phenomenon of the lost children, and it will also analyse the bush and the landscape together at once. This is due to the fact that children occurring in Rabbit Proof Fence and Yolngu Boy are very much connected to the environment, and so one archetype is defined by the other in these movies. The sub-chapter “The Black Tracker” is about the figure of the 6 Tracker occurring in Rabbit Proof Fence and its role in Australian reconciliation. The next sub-chapter is to provide a closer look on who the “battler” is, how is illustrated in all films selected and in what ways the newer and the older movies differ in depiction of the battlers. The second chapter “Pervading Topics” is about to examine themes that go through all the selected movies while comparing and contrasting the differences between the films made before the “Mabo decision” and “apologetic mood” and more contemporary ones. By being present in all movies selected, the issues are also archetypal for Australian cinematography and its depiction of Aboriginal people. The elements discussed are sense of sticking together, racism and assimilation. The selected films for the examination are: The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, The Fringe Dwellers, Yolngu Boy and Rabbit Proof Fence. These films were chosen to examine the representation of Aboriginal culture and identity by studying their main characters and the issues they deal with. These films are concerned with difficulties the Aborigines have been encountering in they lives recently. By the analysis of these films it is possible to understand both sides of the Australia's race-related problems today, and see that there is neither an easy nor a definite answer to them. All the movies discussed are feature films made by Australian directors with smaller or greater discussion with Aborigines. One of the criteria for selection was the date of their release; The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Fringe Dwellers are older, and date before the “Mabo decision” and beginning of the “apologies for stolen generations” whereas Yolngu Boy and Rabbit-Proof Fence were filmed after 1992. These 7 films were also chosen because of their plots that offer a possibility to compare and contrast the approaches towards Aboriginal culture in the course of time on the basis of similar issues they deal with. 8 1. The Aboriginal perspective An attitude that Australian Aborigines have towards their land is a different one