When Bangarra’s newest production was announced earlier this year, another interpretation of indigenous history did not seem appealing especially more than two centuries years after Wollarawarre Bennelong’s narrative had dusted the early struggles of Aboriginal colonisation. However, in 2017, the historic chronicles of Bennelong’s life have been replenished with a soul and a cast covered with ochre. Stephen Page’s endeavours brings to life the journey of the first Aboriginal man who was assimilated into British culture. The performance emphasises on the indispensable events of Bennelong’s life such as his complicated relationship with governor Arthur Phillip, ostracism from his tribe and ultimately his descent into melancholy madness. However, …show more content…
Jennifer Irwin has effectively blended together the two major cultures which are present in the performance: British and Aboriginal. The scene “Birth of Bennelong” is a prime example of her consummate choice of costume. The full company enters steadily, wearing underwear constituted of leaves. This significantly assists the audience in comprehending the narrative and the way it effectively indicates each section. An instance of this is when Bennelong is washed on-stage by women. The dripping droplets are clear from all observing eyes as the ochre augments it. Not only does the ochre enhance practical elements but it also helps Bangarra personify the cultural symbolisms associated with indigenous practices. In contrast, “Birth of Bennelong” features aural aspects of aboriginal lyrics and harmonies. Steve Francis, the composer of Bangarra’s new score honours the legacy of late David Page by producing exceptional music for each chapter of the performance. The symphony of Philharmonia Choir, the sample of natural elements such as thunder and the language words of Matthew Doyle (Cultural Consultant) compliment the terrestrial movements of the ensemble quite well; the scene is engaging. However, the sluggish progression of the 5-minute section make it seem slightly dreary. Albeit, the audience is still captivated by the creative low-level locomotor movement …show more content…
One scene in particular was a highlight of the performance: Repatriation. The scene begins delicately with two indigenous people carrying a wrapping object to the centre of the stage. When they unravel it however, it appears to be the decaying body of an Eora person. The person is joined by Elma Kris and Beau Dean Riley Smith who has been sent back from London initiating a pas de trois evincing pain. At the core the choreography involves a large portion of weight sharing, grounded high releases and floor patterns. Moreover, the detrimental influence of the European settlement is projected vividly through the expressions of the three performers. Simultaneously, the movement is coordinated with Alana Valentine’s spoken poetry alluding to the forgotten deaths of Aboriginal Australians- “missing dead…without their hands or their heads”. Overall, the artistic director inspires with his evocative choreography and authentic intent which is idiosyncratic of Bangarra
Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet whose poems often examine colonialism and its effects. His poem “a verse for the cheated” does just that, as it comments on how many people are ignorant when it comes to Indigenous Australians. In this poem Watson represents Australians as a people that can often be ignorant in regard to Aboriginals. By using strong language features and symbolism, Watson is able to communicate the everyday effects of colonialism on the Indigenous people in Australia.
The Brechtian convention of juxtaposition is again successfully employed, between Sheppard’s happy and positive tone and the seriousness of the mission camps, generating a humorous effect. This amplifies the alienation of the audience, meaning they think more objectively about the missions and how this impacted aboriginal identity. Through this alienation the audience is forced to think about the dramatic meaning, regarding the impact that the first settlers had on the indigenous Australians and the need for acceptance. Thus, through the use of movement and juxtaposition to create humour the performance effectively enhances the impact that the first settlers have on changing aboriginal identity and how acceptance needs to be reached, for both indigenous and non-indigenous
David Unaipon was born in 1872 in the small aboriginal community of Raukkan, South Australia (ABC, 2015). Unaipon was the fourth of nine children and his childhood was changed by conflict between Christians and Aborigines due to the lack of understanding between the different culture and belief systems (ABC, 2015). His education was limited as he began school at the age of seven, at Point McLeay Mission School and left to become a servant at 13 (Walker, 2013). He was known for his intelligence through his schooling life and was highly praised by the “Aborigines’ Friends ' Association” for his intellectual abilities (AWM, 2010). As a young adult, Unaipon
This scene the director included non-diegetic sound such as their traditional Aboriginal music which represent their wise and their culture. The director of this film also carefully chose an elder that could represent Aboriginal people and depict their knowledge and understanding of their land. Costumes plays an important role in this scene as what they are wearing as an equal person who lives in Australia. The Aborigines are wearing traditional clothes while the kid wears their type of clothes which demonstrate that everyone is equal. This relates back to the traditional wisdom and what people should do when encounter an
The Sapphires is a film based on the McCrae sisters, four Australian Aboriginal singers, and their journey to Vietnam to entertain American troops in 1968. In this paper we will use the film The Sapphires to critically discuss the work of Stuart Hall (1997), Aileen Moreton-Robinson (2015), and Judith Butler (2013) and see how these scholars might analyze its relationship to social identities and difference. In the ‘Spectacle of the Other,’ Hall presents the idea of the ‘other’ and the fear and anxiety it creates. While in ‘I Still Call Australia Home: Indigenous Belonging and Place in a White Post Colonizing Society,’ Moreton-Robinson argues that Anglo colonization continues suppress Aboriginals and dominate Australian institutions. In ‘For
Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian identity, exploring the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson associates
The concept of discovery is a manifold notion. It comprises exploring something for the first time or it could be rediscovering something has been faded or lost, forgotten or concealed. People may experience different types of discovery which could be sudden and unexpected. However it may affect them physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. This response will focus on the idea discovery that relates to the themes of aboriginal connections to their family, place and culture and also the discrimination upon them. This well demonstrated thought the texts “Rainbow’s End” by Jane Harrison, the two poems “Son of Mine” and “We are going” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal as well as my chosen related text, the film “One night the moon” by Rachel Perkins. Each text presents a variety of discovery aspects that allows a deep understanding of the concept of discovery.
My film, ‘One Night The Moon’ recounts the classic tale of the wild Australian bush and the fear that it holds by utilising different distinctive voices of characters, specifically Albert Yang, played by Kelton Pell, and Jim Ryan, played by Paul Kelly, to express their thoughts. It mainly focuses on the treatment of Aboriginal people by the
Before we look at whether James Moloney effectively uses characterisation to convey Aboriginal issues we must look at the issues themselves. In Dougy, the issue of black and white prejudice is strongly present in the plot. The stereotyping of Aborigines and white Europeans play an important role in the events and the outcome of the story, as is individuality and the breaking of the stereotypes. The book also touches on the old Aboriginal superstitions that are still believed in by some today, though one of such superstitions plays an important role in creating the mood of the resolution. These issues impact most heavily on the character Gracey.
Bourke, E and Edwards, B. 1994. Aboriginal Australia. St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press.
As European domination began, the way in which the European’s chose to deal with the Aborigines was through the policy of segregation. This policy included the establishment of a reserve system. The government reserves were set up to take aboriginals out of their known habitat and culture, while in turn, encouraging them to adapt the European way of life. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1909 established strict controls for aborigines living on the reserves . In exchange for food, shelter and a little education, aborigines were subjected to the discipline of police and reserve managers. They had to follow the rules of the reserve and tolerate searchers of their homes and themselves. Their children could be taken away at any time and ‘apprenticed” out as cheap labour for Europeans. “The old ways of the Aborigines were attacked by regimented efforts to make them European” . Their identities were threatened by giving them European names and clothes, and by removing them from their tra...
Reynolds, H. (1990). With The White People: The crucial role of Aborigines in the exploration and development of Australia. Australia: Penguin Books
This essay will firstly briefly describe the theories and important facts about the original multi-store model of memory (MSM) and the working memory model (WMM).
Throughout both ‘Rainbow’s End’ and ‘The Rabbits’, the audience discovers the plights that the Aboriginal Australians faced, due to discrimination and assimilation, in intensely confronting, yet intensely meaningful ways. We see how the discrimination and forced assimilation of cultures was common in the lead up to modern times because of composers like Harrison, Marsden and Tan reminding us of these events, allowing us to discover and rediscover our past wrongs through their works, in order to pave the way for a brighter, harmonious future. Without these documentations and retellings of events such as these, history would repeat itself, conflicts would be more apparent and we as a species would not be able to thrive and prosper due to our prejudices and superiority complexes.
This is an incredible paragraph extracted from Bora Ring. This poem depicts perfectly of the European invasion of Australia. It shows how the traditions and stories are gone, how the hunting and rituals are gone and ‘lost in an alien tale’, the Europeans being the aliens. This poem also describes that it seemed as if the tradition of Aborigines was ‘breathed sleeping and forgot’. These are powerful words Judith Wright used to show how they Aborigines were quickly invaded and ‘forgotten’. This poem is an excellent example of why Australian students should study her poetry.