Still Our Country (ATOM Study Guide)

Still Our Country is a poetic celebration of the contemporary Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land. The project takes the form of an online installation at www.stillourcountry.com.au and an 88-minute documentary film. It is directed by Molly Reynolds. With evocative and experientially cinematic visuals and sound, Still Our Country documents the swiftly morphing lives of the Yolngu people of Ramingining in the Northern Territory. The online installation is built on fragments and parts presenting a carnival of contemporary ways, the sum of which makes for a bold declaration of identity and a hopeful promise of a future.

Although only 600 kilometres from Darwin, Ramingining may as well be in a country other than Australia. It is persistently, almost willfully, foreign. The people, of a strong and defiant tradition, often speak no English, and struggle to comprehend the madness of rapid change thrashing through their world order. In short, it makes Ramingining a wonderfully and enticingly bizarre, complex and challenging place for the inhabitants and visitors alike.

Still Our Country examines, largely visually, how the people in and around Ramingining township spend their time. It offers insight into the ways in which Yolngu culture continues to absorb and adapt to the dominant Balanda (white) culture, yet retain its own identity.

The online installation and the documentary film are part of the Country suite of projects made by Molly Reynolds and Rolf de Heer about contemporary Aboriginal culture. Charlie's Country, a feature film starring David Gulpilil, was screened to critical acclaim at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and later in Australia. Gulpilil won a Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section of the Festival for his performance in the film. He also appears in the other projects in the Country suite as himself, a proud Yolngu man.

Curriculum Guidelines

The online installation and/or the documentary film would be suitable for students at upper primary and secondary levels. The online installation in particular will offer younger students the opportunity to explore the Ramingining world at their own pace.