Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses : Honours Theses 2005 Shifting representations of Aboriginality in Australian cinema : Re- presenting from an anti-colonial perspective Kylie Solonec Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons Part of the Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, and the Visual Studies Commons Recommended Citation Solonec, K. (2005). Shifting representations of Aboriginality in Australian cinema : Re-presenting from an anti-colonial perspective. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1266 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1266 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. 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SHIFTING REPRESENTATIONS OF ABORIGINALITY IN AUSTRALIAN CINEMA: RE-PRESENTING FROM AN ANTI-COLONIAL PERSPECTIVE Kylie Solonec Bachelor of Communications (Film & Video) with Honours This thesis is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Communications Faculty of Communications and Creative Industries Edith Cowan University December 2005 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. ABSTRACT Recently there has been a significant shift in the way that Aboriginal people are being represented in Australian cinema. Some would argue that the social and political movements that have occurred since the 1960s through until today have had a significant effect and in turn have produced a third wave of Australian cinema. Concurrently with this process, there have been a number of Indigenous politicians, academics and filmmakers who have actively been striving to gain better resources and opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers to be able to tell their stories. A combination of these two projects has seen a shift in the representation of Aboriginal people: from representations produced by non-Aboriginal filmmakers, to representations that are developed and controlled by Aboriginal people and filmmakers. This thesis argues that through self-representation and input by Aboriginal people within films about Aboriginal people, narratives have shifted to place Aboriginal people and experiences at the centre of these stories. This shift is examined in terms of an anti-colonialist approach. This approach is one which tells Indigenous stories and reasserts the centrality of the Aboriginal experience, and is opposed to colonial and post-colonial approaches. Although anti-colonialism does not have a wide literature base, this thesis has used the work of Professor Marcia Langton and Linda Tuhiwai Smith to explore and develop further this concept. The concept of anti-colonialism has been applied to a number of Indigenous films that have been released for Australian cinema, and which have shown evidence of a discursive shift in discourses surrounding Aboriginality. I have also endeavoured to show that self-representation is vitally important to developing an anti-colonialist approach towards Aboriginality which reasserts the centrality of the Aboriginal experience. To explore the concept of anti-colonialism, this thesis examines and compares films from 1971 (Walkabout- Nicolas Roeg) to 2005 (The Proposition- John Hillcoat). The thesis explores the concepts of colonialism and post-colonialism in an effort to place the earlier films within context of their times. These films are broken down into two categorie_s._ -~first category examines a selection of films starring the Indigenous actor, David Gulpilil. The second category examines three films directed by Aboriginal filmmakers- Rachel Perkins and Ivan Sen. iii DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education. (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Signature: . Date: ....... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Mum, Dad and Tammy for my cultural upbringing, respect, appreciation and curiosity .. .! come from an amazing and diverse family. Thank you to Michelle McMerrin and Panizza Allmark for the most encouraging start to academia that a student could have, and especially to Michelle for your support and friendship. And thank you to Mardie O'Sullivan, Lelia Green, Bruce Campbell and Leon Marvell for your input and support. Thank you to Professor Marcia Langton for taking the time to talk to me and re-evaluate my approach. Lastly, thank you to Bethany Andersson ... without you, I could not have achieved half of what I had hoped; and you have made me double that. v TABLE OF CONTENTS USE OF THESIS .............................................................................................................................................. II ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................... III DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................................. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ V INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1 DECOLONISING REPRESENTATIONS .......................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2 ABORIGINALITY FROM A POST-COLONIAL TO AN ANTI-COLONIAL PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 3 SHIFTING REPRESENTATIONS OF ABORIGINALITY IN THE FILMS OF DAVID GULPILIL ......................................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 4 ANTI-COLONIALISM THROUGH ABORIGINAL FILMMAKING ........................ 29 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 37 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 41 FILMOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 46 vi INTRODUCTION The underlying theme of this study is the concept of "anti-colonialism", which is an area on which there is limited literature. I am exploring anti-colonialist representations of Aboriginality in Australian cinema and my interest in this area stems from my Aboriginal heritage (I am a descendant of the Nygkina 1 people) and my undergraduate studies in Film and Video. The aim of this research is to contribute to an understanding of cultural representation and issues of image and dialogue about Aboriginal people. By continuing to build and add to the body of knowledge surrounding Aboriginality/Indigeneity in Australian Cinema, there will be a wider understanding by the audience of Indigenous art and literature, and the aesthetic and cultural values of Aboriginal film and video production (Langton, 2003, p. 124). Also, I hope this study offers a contribution to the reappraisal of our historical acceptance of what audiences construed as the facts of Aboriginality, and become cognisant of how much influence Australian film has within Australian society in regard to our Aboriginal history and knowledge of Aboriginal people. However, before commencing, I wish to draw to your attention an issue that I am still unsure on how to deal with - the use of the terms Indigenous and Aboriginal. Indigenous as a collective group is a term that emerged in the 1970s and "internationalises the experiences, the issues and the struggles of some of the world's colonised peoples" (Smith, 2001, p. 7). The term Aboriginal is a highly contested and heavily defined term, with counts of up to 67 definitions (Langton, 1993, p. 28). It often refers to cnaracterisations. There is no right or wrong use