©ATOM A STUDY GUIDE by Katy Marriner
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN-13-978-1-74295-028-0 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Nganampa Anwernekenhe
Crookhat and the Kulunada is part of the Ngan- ampa Anwernekenhe television series. Nganampa Anwernekenhe is produced by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) Produc- tions, the film and television production branch of CAAMA, in partnership with Imparja Television.
Over 180 programs have been produced since the Nganampa Anwenekenhe television series was initiated in 1988. The primary aim of the series is the maintenance of Aboriginal languages and culture. Nganampa Anwernekenhe also provides an opportunity for Indigenous filmmakers to work on an Indigenous language television series. Each program must have an Indigenous Australian in the key creative roles which include writer, director, cinematographer and sound recordist.
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About the filmmaker
‘One of the main things about a Nganampa is to keep it simple and straight in the same way that our old people tell their stories. My grandfather used to tell me about this story of how the serpent Casey Akemarr Holmes was shot in the eye. The opportunity to convert this oral history to a Nganampa allows me not only to tell the story but also to show the way our old n the arid desert country of the central people pass on our stories. I believe it’s important Northern Territory there is a strip of green where to add them to our archive. The reason we have Ian underground spring feeds a waterhole. a narrator and a witness to tell the story is so the Kulunada, the rainbow serpent of the Dreaming, story is told right way. It’s the same for a Ngan- lives in the waterhole. ampa. You can’t bend the story or change it to try and make it fit a format. It has to be told straight.’ A four wheel drive journeys through the bush This study guide to – David Tranter, Director and arrives at the waterhole. The three men who accompany Crookhat emerge are Donald (Crookhat) Akemarr Thompson, and the Kulunada, a David Apwerl Tranter is an Alyawarr man from the documentary directed Alec Apetyarr Peterson and Casey Akemarr central desert region of Australia. His skin name is by David Tranter Holmes. They talk about their journey. They greet provides information Apwerl. His mother’s father comes from the Tjowa the spring and Kulunada. and suggestions for estate where the Kulanada lives. learning activities in The men converse as they gather firewood and English, Humanities David first began working with CAAMA as a trainee and Social Sciences, prepare a camp. They share their knowledge of sound recordist in 1989. Since then Tranter has Indigenous Studies the place. When they come to the slab that was and Media. worked on hundreds of CAAMA film and video the foundation for the old station homestead, they productions. recollect the old days, when white men arrived and Teachers should preview Crookhat and established cattle stations. In 2009, Tranter won the Australian Screen Sound the Kulunada before showing it to students. Guild award for Best Sound on a feature film for As the campfire sends sparks into the clear desert The documentary would Samson & Delilah (Warwick Thornton). In 2010, sky, Crookhat tells stories of Kulunada. appeal to students in Tranter was a recipient of an AFI Award for his work
upper primary classes as a sound recordist for the film. S CREE N EDUC ATION © ATOM and is suitable for Crookhat and the Kulunada is in Alyawarr language secondary students at and is subtitled in English. Alyawarr language is all levels. Crookhat and Tranter’s directing career began in 2004. His credits spoken by approximately 1400 people. the Kulunada is suitable as a director include Karli Jalangu, Living Country, for general audiences. Crook Hat and Camphoo, Willaberta Jack, Karlu Karlu and Crookhat and the Kulunada. Duration: 23 minutes
2 CAAMA Productions educating the wider community. Credits
Crookhat and the Kulunada was produced by Established in 1988 CAAMA Productions is part Director and sound Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association of the CAAMA media group. CAAMA Production’s recordist: David (CAAMA) Productions, the film and television primary purpose is to represent Indigenous people, Tranter Photography: Eric Murray Lui : production branch of CAAMA, in partnership with culture and language in film and television. CAAMA Editor Dena Curtis Series Imparja Television. Productions was the recipient of the 2005 Film producer: Tanya Fraser Australia Stanley Hawes Award for Outstanding Executive producers: The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Contribution to Australian Documentary. Robyn Nardoo and Ray Association (CAAMA) began operations in 1980 Lillis and was the first Aboriginal group to be allocated Visit CAAMA at
Find out more about Imparja Television at
3 Using Crookhat and the Kulunada in the classroom Teachers may select from the following information and activities to support students’ viewing and close analysis of Crookhat and the Kulunada.
Making a start estate. This makes them the custodians of the story that’s been told. Alec, as a senior man of the • Did you enjoy watching Crookhat and the Alyawarr lands, oversees the storytelling to make Kulunada? sure that the story is told correctly. • Use the table on page 5 to make notes as you watch Crookhat and the Kulunada. • Use ‘Think, Pair, Share’ to discuss your impres- Drawing on the contents of the table, spend sions of Crookhat, Alec and Casey. time as a class discussing the content and Review the notes that you have made about the purpose of Crookhat and Kulunada. men in the table. Talk about your impressions • Draw a concept map that shows the connec- of Donald, Alec and Casey with a partner. Share tions between Crookhat and the Kulunada and your conversation about one of the men with your world. the rest of the class. • What words would you use to describe the Donald, Alec and Casey relationship between the three men? Match the
words that you have selected with moments S CREE N EDUC ATION © ATOM Crookhat and the Kulunada features Donald from Crookhat and the Kulunada. (Crookhat) Akemarr Thompson, Alec Apetyarr Peterson and Casey Akemarr Holmes. The men are The Alyawarr homelands Alyawarr elders. Each of them have a different role Above: in the storytelling process. Crookhat and Casey are The Alyawarr homelands stretch north east of Alice Alec Apetyarr Peterson Kwertengerl Manager of Ceremony for the Tjowa Springs and follow the Sandover River up towards 4 discussion Viewing notes
Plot
What happens?
Characters
Make notes about the story teller and the witnesses.
Setting
Where does the story take place?
THEMES
What are the S CREE N EDUC ATION © ATOM big ideas?
5 tices, histories, languages, laws and family rela- tionships have been passed on in this way. These stories link past, present and future generations of Indigenous Australians.
Crookhat and the Kulunada continues this tradition. The storytellers featured in the documentary value their cultural stories and recognise the importance of sharing these stories. The stories were passed onto them by elders in their community and as elders they are now responsible for passing on the stories to the next generation.
• Donald Akemarr Thompson, known as Crook- hat, is in his seventies and is a senior Alyawarr man from Antarrengeny and Hatches Creek. He is a proud man and the keeper of many stories for his country. Crookhat spent his early years as a stockman working on Kurundi Station, Murray Downs and other stations across the Barkly Tablelands. He also spent time mining. Crookhat has spent his whole life on his home- lands. Crookhat is the main storyteller in Crookhat and the Kulunada. Alec Apetyarr Peterson and Casey Akemarr Holmes are the witnesses. They are Crookhat’s advisors. The stories that Crookhat tells in Crookhat and the Kulunada have been checked by Alec and Casey. Spend time as a class, discussing the different roles the men play in the telling of the Kulunada stories. The men claim that telling the stories is their responsibility. the Barkly Tablelands for a thousand kilometres. Why do they make this claim? Why must the stories told by Crookhat be wit- • Have you ever visited Alyawarr country? nessed by Alec and Casey? Locate the Alyawarr homelands on a map of • ‘We know this place because our old people Australia. Use print and electronic texts to find told us but the young people need to keep it out more about the Alyawarr homelands and up. We want the young ones to be like us, and about the Alywarr people. Share your findings take on and pass on the stories.’ (Donald Ake- with others in the class. marr Thompson) A useful starting point is the Indigenous Lan- Why is it important that the stories of Kulunada guage Map located at
– Donald Akemarr Thompson The rainbow serpent is portrayed as a large, snake- S CREE N EDUC ATION © ATOM like creature, whose Dreaming track is always The term ‘oral tradition’ refers to the transmission associated with watercourses, such as billabongs, of cultural material through speech. rivers, creeks and lagoons. It is the benevolent protector of the land and its people, and the source The practice of telling oral stories is an important Above: Donald of all life. It is also a malevolent punisher of law aspect of Aboriginal culture. Specific cultural prac- Akemarr Thompson breakers. 6 • What is the meaning of the term ‘Dreaming’ in Aboriginal culture? • What evidence does Crookhat and the Kulunada provide of Kulunada’s benevolence? What evidence does Crookhat and the Kulunada provide of Kulunada’s malevolence? • What do the stories of Kulunada allow us to understand about Aboriginal people’s lives and their relationship with the land? • What does Crookhat and the Kulunada tell us about Crookhat, Alec and Casey’s belief system? • Create a PowerPoint that tells the story of Kulunada and how he watches over the spring. Or Create a PowerPoint that tells the story of the pastoralists who came face to face with Kulunada. Your role as storyteller is to adapt one of the stories told by Crookhat. Your PowerPoint should use words, images and sounds to tell the story. Before you begin, think about • Spend time as a class, discussing the story that your audience and how best to engage their Crookhat tells about Tim from Barrow Creek attention. country. What happens? Why does the pasto- • There are innumerable names and stories ralist shoot the Aboriginal man who was break- associated with the rainbow serpent. Use the ing in the horses? Do you think the pastoralist’s Internet to find out more about the rainbow behaviour was typical of the times? What does serpent’s place in Aboriginal mythology. Tim do? Were his actions justified? • Why should the history of the conflict between Conflict the pastoralists and the Aboriginal people of the Alywarr homelands be documented and ‘The cheeky white fellows came here at the same discussed? time as the bullock. They brought fear to the Aboriginal people, they killed them and made some Respect leave the country in fear.’ – Donald Akemarr Thompson Write the word respect in the middle of an A4 page.
Crookhat and Kulunada is also a collective history Use the space around the word to make a state- of early contact with white pastoralists. ment about the documentary’s exploration of this idea. The arrival of pastoralists in the late nineteenth century brought conflict to the Alyawarr region. Use moments and statements from Crookhat and The pastoralists established cattle stations in the the Kulunada to support your claims. most fertile areas. The local Aboriginal people were denied access to the land and its resources. The Make sure that you provide notes on: pastoralists also stole the Aboriginal women away from their husbands and families. - respecting the land - respecting people • How did the arrival of the pastoralists change - respecting culture life in the Aboriginal community featured in - respecting the past Crookhat’s story? • In arriving at an answer to this question, con- Behind the scenes sider in what ways the Aboriginal people were dispossessed of their identity and belonging. • ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers You should also consider the following ques- should exercise caution when watching this
tions: program as it may contain images of deceased S CREE N EDUC ATION © ATOM - how did the arrival of the pastoralists persons.’ change life for the Aboriginal men? Why is this warning shown at the beginning of - how did the arrival of the pastoralists Crookhat and the Kulunada? change life for the Aboriginal women? • Crookhat and the Kulunada is an observational - how did the pastoralists regard the land that Above: Casey documentary. they claimed as theirs? Akemarr Holmes What does this term mean, and why do you 7 think the filmmaker chose this approach? Create • Who is the audience of Crookhat and the Kulunada? ‘We want the young ones to be like us, and take on • How does the filmmaker portray the Alyawarr and pass on the stories.’ homelands? – Donald Akemarr Thompson Spend time as a class, discussing the filmmaker’s decisions about the settings What stories are a part of your family’s world? featured in Crookhat and the Kulunada. • Why do you think the filmmaker used the Make a digital story about a story that is part of sounds of the natural world rather than music your family’s world and that you think should be to create the soundtrack of Crookhat and the handed down from one generation to the next. Kulunada? A digital story uses multimedia tools and visual Extended analysis and audio resources from personal archives. Most digital stories are approximately two to five minutes • Complete a detailed analysis of Crookhat and in length. Digital stories are a unique and power- the Kulunada. Your analysis should provide: ful way to tell a story. You will need to construct a - A synopsis of the documentary storyboard, write a script and source photographs - A description of the roles played by and other keepsakes to compose the story. Then Indigenous Australians. there are other decisions. Who will narrate the - An explanation of the filmmaker’s purpose. story? What sounds and music will be part of the - An assessment of the documentary’s digital story? What is an appropriate title? Include a portrayal of Indigenous Australia. dedication and end credits. - A comment on how the documentary uses production elements. Further information about digital stories can be - your judgement of the documentary’s worth. found on the website of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image
When you have finished, present your story to an audience.
Ronin Films PO Box 680 Mitchell, ACT 2911 ph: (02) 6248 0851 fax: (02) 6249 1640
This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2011) ISBN-13-978-1-74295-028-0 [email protected] For more information on Screen Education magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit
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