Donydji is a small Indigenous homeland in North East Arnhem Land in the far north of Australia. Homelands are situated within the traditional lands of the people who live in them. They are of central importance to those peoples’ identity and culture. This film charts the Donydji community’s transition from nomadic life to the digital age, starting in the 1960s and all the way to the present day. One family is featured, across three generations, from the traditional elder, Dhulutarama, who still knew how to make stone tools, to his granddaughter, Joanne Yindiri Guyula, who teaches at the Donydji school. This is a moving and representative portrait of one family’s struggle to preserve their culture and remain on their homeland despite the severe obstacles they face: sub-standard education, deplorable service delivery, lack of job opportunities for youth, inadequate government policy, bureaucratic mismanagement, and pressure from mining interests.
Length: 60 min
Country: Australia
Language: English
Director: Glenda Hambley
Producer(s): Glenda Hambley