The Dream and the Dreaming

Clip 3: Old language, new story

2 min 58 sec

Taken from the documentary The Dream and the Dreaming (2003)

Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be G

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Availability of the complete title

Please be aware that this clip may contain the names, images and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may now be deceased.

Curator’s clip description

Arrernte children learn the Bible in their own language. In 1879 the mission is surrounded by cattle stations, and WH Wiltshire is a policeman who responds to the Arrernte presence violently.

Curator’s notes

The Indigenous Ntaria people have their land progressively taken from them as they are forced into Hermannsburg for protection. WH Wiltshire is a policeman who led hunting expeditions in which Indigenous men were killed. This is a documentary rich in material that will generate discussions about the ethics of this era.

Romaine Moreton, curator

australian screen