Kuringal

In 1883 a large gathering of First Nations People gathered at the top of a mountain, near the township of Bega, on the NSW Far South Coast (Australia) to perform a men's initiation specifically so that it could be recorded by one of the world's earliest anthropologists. It was the first and only time such a ceremony was to be recorded and the subsequent publications helped shape much of our early understanding of Aboriginal Australia. After having been performed for thousands and thousands of years this ceremony, known as a 'Kuringal' was the last time it was performed on such a grand scale and with such extravagance. Beyond this point colonial authorities, determined to crush First Nations culture in Australia, forced these ceremonies underground but The Yuin People kept these ceremonies alive and they continued right up until the present. This film tells that story and explains the continuing importance of ceremony today for First Nations People. Co-directed by Yuin Elder, Warren Foster Sr and Bottlebrush Media film makers Stuart Cohen and Murray Vanderveer. Commissioned by NSW South East Local Land Services.