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Message Stick – Bill’s Wake (2001)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
clip
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Protecting Kakadu

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Peter Wellings, Jacob Nayinggul, George Chaloupka and John Christopherson talk about Bill Neidjie, a traditional owner of Kakadu. We see people arriving for Bill’s wake.

Curator’s notes

by Romaine Moreton

Beautifully shot, with strongly evocative music, this deliberately slow-paced clip effectively sets the mood for the start of the ceremony at the wake. The reference to Bill Neidjie caring for the future of his children is also nicely underlined by the camera dwelling on the crowds of children being brought to the wake.