Merrepen
Clip 1: The other side of the river
2 min 53 sec
Taken from the documentary Merrepen (2005)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be G
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
Over opening shots of the township of Nauiyu in the Daly River, the narrator Marrfurra tells us about the history of Nauiyu, a township in the Daly River region. After the missionaries arrived in Nauiyu, the old people gradually moved into the mission and began working there. Over shots of the river Marrfurra tells us there are lots of different languages here. Her people are from places like Peppimenarti, Ngambu Ngambu, Malfiyin and Nimalak. Though generations have been born here, Marrfurra states that this is not their country.
In the river there are barramundi, stingray, sharks and catfish and a lot of crocodiles. We see women gathering bush tucker, walking through the water lilies and harvesting crocodile eggs, yams and all different kinds of berries.
At the Merrepen Arts Centre, people paint and do screen-printing. Marrfurra tells us that there are not enough elders left, which is why the community ’...are painting our stories and making things.’
Curator’s notes
This clip talks about the various ways Indigenous peoples are coping with the loss of knowledge and tradition, the consequence of losing elders who hold that knowledge. The arts centre is more than a place to get together to paint and weave; it is a repository of knowledge.
Romaine Moreton, curator
have teachers’ notes.
