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The Sharkcallers of Kontu (1982)

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clip Doing business education content clip 1, 2

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Three fishermen from the village visit various shops in town to try and sell their shark fins.

Curator’s notes

by Pat Fiske

This clip shows how the sharkcallers use every bit of the shark, dividing it up for the whole community. This is part of the traditional ritual that must be strictly adhered to and, if not, punishment can be expected (they will cease to be helped in catching sharks). But times have changed and hard cash has become a necessary currency in the evolving society. The fins are visible reminders of the sharkcaller’s ability to communicate with his ancestors, but have been removed from the ceremonial men’s house to be sold. Although the fishermen are happy, it is a heartrending scene as money changes hands and the shark fins are gone.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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