“Educate them to get people to understand”: promoting cultural awareness through short films and Dreamtime stories – Australia

Discover more about the Indigenous community of Mount Gambier, South Australia in this month’s Indigenous.gov.au Closing the Gap community profile.

The traditional lands of the Bunganditj (Boandik) people, Mt Gambier is home to a growing Indigenous population that has travelled from various parts of Australia to settle in the city renowned for its volcanic crater lakes. […]

The community recently worked together to develop two short films that showcase Bunganditj (Boandik) dreaming stories, which are screened every day in the city centre.

Ngarrindjeri elder Elaine Kropinyeri, who has lived in Mount Gambier for more than 30 years, believes sharing these stories brings the wider community together and is an important step in Closing the Gap.

“It brings acknowledgment to the local Bunganditj (Boandik) people,” she said.

“It brings acknowledgement about their Dreamtime stories and a curiosity. So with that curiosity, it breaks down the barriers, because instead of being ignorant to Aboriginal people and their Dreaming stories, now they ask.”

Listen to the audio below to hear Elaine talking about how the films are contributing to Closing the Gap in Mount Gambier.

Listen online or Download MP3 [254.2 kB] here >>
Duration: 02:06
Talent: Ngarrindjeri elder Elaine Kropinyeri

Transcript: My dear mother said to me once, Elaine, there’s no such thing as racial prejudice; educate them to get people to understand. And this is a part of it. This is what these films are about, educating the broader community. […] Read the entire transcript >>

Source: Local film promotes cultural awareness to Close the Gap in Mount Gambier | indigenous.gov.au
Address : http://www.indigenous.gov.au/local-film-promotes-cultural-awareness-to-close-the-gap-in-mount-gambier/
Date Visited: Wed Jan 23 2013 15:46:01 GMT+0100 (CET)

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