Tumanu's People

1960, 28 Minutes

This stunning film, shot throughout the Northern Territory, opens with a mortuary ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, which includes powerful dance sequences around carved and painted Pukamani poles.

The film describes how Aboriginal people lived a traditional lifestyle, rich in resources and spirituality, before the coming of the Europeans. But since white settlement, they have been forced to adapt to a new way of living; to learn a new religion, language, work skills and professions in order to take their place in modern Australian society.

Tumanu's People also includes rare footage of Western Arrernte artist Edwin Pareroultja (1918-1986), as he paints a watercolour landscape near Hermannsburg, NT.

An Australian National Film Board Production. Produced by the Australian Commonwealth Film Unit for the Department of Territories. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.