David Roberts

Walya Ngamardiki - The Land My Mother

David Roberts

Bob Maza, Silas Roberts

Exploring the relationship between Aboriginal people and their land (including the Dreaming, sacred places), this film was inspired by Silas Roberts’ submission to the 1976 Australian Government inquiry on uranium mining - the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry. Silas, whose tribal name is Ngourladi, is an elder of the Allawa clan and was the first chairman of the Northern Land Council, established to assist Aboriginal people make land rights claims based on traditional ownership. The film, which moves from Arnhem Land in the north to Yuendumu in the centre, examines the importance of maintaining Aboriginal culture and laws and explains the reasons why they object to the mining being carried out.

The Land of the Lightning Brothers

David Roberts

In the sandstone country southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory lies a spectacular concentration of Aboriginal rock art. Ancestral beings, the Lightning Brothers, feature in this art. For the Wardaman people, the Lightning Brothers are an important part of their living culture. The Wardaman perform traditional songs and ceremonies associated with special Dreamtime places where their art is found. Like many rock art sites, the Wardaman's Dreamtime places are extremely vulnerable. This fascinating and educational program, featuring the music of Australian group Gondwanaland, looks at the way these valuable sites are being preserved.

Country Outcasts

David Roberts

'Country Outcasts' is a band of talented Aboriginal country and western musicians - including Harry, Wilga and Gus Williams, Mac Silver and Auriel Andrew - who have spent their lives in a wholly urbanised environment. This is the story of a tour the band makes to visit Aboriginal communites in central Australia, stopping at Alice Springs, Hermannsburg, Papunya and Yuendumu. It's a fascinating insight into their thoughts and feelings as they bring their version of "white man's culture" to outback communities where traditional Indigenous culture and language is strong.

3 Dances Gulpilil

David Roberts

David Gulpilil

David Gulpilil performs three Aboriginal dances, Emu, Kangaroo and Fish. The first two are solo performances by Gulpilil and are closer to mime than dance. The third is a group dance with some of the children from Bamyili where Gulpilil lives in the Northern Territory.