Twelve Canoes (ATOM Study Guide)

We are the first people of our land. These are some of our stories from where we have lived so long. We welcome you to know about us, about our culture, this way. The Yolngu people of Ramingining.

Twelve Canoes is a website and DVD presentation of twelve linked short audio-visual pieces, some companion short videos to these twelve stories, 120 photographs and art pieces, and music files, that together paint a compelling portrait of the people, history, culture and place of the Yolngu people whose homeland is the Arafura Swamp of north-central Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The menu elements are:

TWELVE CANOES: Consisting of twelve video pieces that provide a visual portrait of the history, culture and environment of the Yolngu people of the Arafura swamp of north-central Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Once a video piece has been accessed, its companion short videos are accessible through the 'extras' link.

GALLERY: Consisting of three sections, Art, Music, and People and Place. These provide a series of artworks and music from the area, as well as a collection of fifty-nine photographs of local people, environment and activities.

ABOUT US: Consisting of Where in the World, Meanings, Study Guide and The People. These provide a link to a Google Earth image of the Ramingining area, a brief history of the area, some explanations of some common Yolngu words and terms, and an online version of this study guide.

SHARE: Consists of an invitation to the viewer to send an email to a friend or associate to 'share' in the stories/ website.

This study guide provides some suggested approaches for using some of these menu elements with students.