The Wawilak Sisters myth and their Djungguwan ceremony connects the Yolngu to their land which they believe they have occupied since time immemorial.

Professor Howard Morphy talks about the interconnection of the ownership of song, painting, dance, sacred objects and land. He likens song, painting and ceremony to title deeds proving land ownership.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

This is a short excerpt from a documentary made about the Djungguwan ceremony at Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1966.

The traditional Yolngu, or Yolŋu ceremony, is also known as the Djuŋguan, Djuŋgewon, Djungguan or Djuŋguwan ceremony.

Two film versions of the Djungguwan were produced for what is now the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS): a 50-minute story of the ceremony and a five-hour archival record.

Both accounts, however, were restricted in 1967 as they contained scenes of sacred dances performed at the secret men's camp – dances that are to be viewed by initiated Yolngu men only. Those restricted scenes are not included here.

Anthropologist Professor Nicholas Peterson talks in voice-over about the rationale behind the filming and their approach.

This version comes from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Yolngu ceremony with its combination of sets, props, painting of the body, dance and singing is likened to an operatic experience by anthropologist Professor Howard Morphy.

The substance of Yolngu ceremonies is the enactment of the events and actions of the ancestral beings who created the land and the re-statement of the laws that they made. This is manifested through the songs, dances, paintings, objects and sequences of action that make up ceremonial performances.

To the Yolngu these are not only means of expression, but also part of the essence of ancestral beings themselves. They provide a connection with the world of the ancestral past.

Each clan possesses a set of songs, paintings and sacred objects that can be referred to collectively as the clan 'madayin' or sacred Law. The clan's sacred Law relates to the action and evidences of the major ancestral beings who created the clan's land.

The Law of each clan is linked to, and overlaps with, the comparable Law of several other clans of the same moiety. This is because the Law refers to the ancestral beings whose journeys always covered the territories of more than one clan.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Bakamumu Marika from the Rirratjingu explains that the Wawilak Sisters are the creators of the Law, which in turn gives the Yolngu their Djungguwan ceremony. The sisters came from Wawilak country.

The ceremony connects them to their land which they believe they have occupied since time immemorial.

In eastern and central Arnhem Land two creator women, the Djan'kawu Sisters, gave birth to the first children of the Dhuwa moiety. Another pair of ancestral sisters, the Wawilak, laid down much of the law and ceremony for those children to follow.

As they travelled through Arnhem Land the Wawilak Sisters hunted, gathered food and made camp like the Yolngu of today. But like all ancestral beings their actions took on a creative and land-transforming nature; and as they travelled they sang, naming and thereby giving meaning to the country and everything upon it.

They created great ceremonies like the Djungguwan through which they taught the first ancestral people of this country, the Djuwany, the sacred and moral Law which has been handed down to this day.

Anthropologist Professor Howard Morphy is also interviewed in this clip.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Wanyubi Marika from the Rirratjingu clan describes the journey of Laklak and Raymattja – the two Wawilak Sisters.

The Yolngu believe that their world was made by creator ancestors who journeyed across Arnhem Land. The Wawilak Sisters are major creator ancestors of the Rirratjingu and Marrakulu clans.

The Djungguwan ceremony reenacts parts of the Wawilak Sisters' journey and restates the Law that they laid down. The Yolngu Elders use the occasion of the ceremony to teach and discuss this Law.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

It includes footage from Djungguwan - Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham, 2002).

Elders speak to children about Djungguwan Law. One Yolngu Elder likens these rules to their Ten Commandments.

They include respecting your parents, not stealing and not ridiculing your family.

This is an excerpt from the Film Australia documentary Djungguwan - Speaking to the Future (2002).

This excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land includes footage from the five-part Film Australia documentary The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy filmed in 1976, of the Djungguwan ceremony.

This ceremony was held on Marrakulu land (Gurka'wuy, on Trial Bay) and was primarily initiated and organised by Dundiwuy and Mithili Wanambi, senior Marrakulu clansmen.

The original film, made by Ian Dunlop at Dundiwuy's invitation, is a study of this Marrakulu/Rirratjingu clan event. It shows the relationship between the Yolngu and their art, song, dance and land.

People of other clans also played an extremely important part. For example, Bokarra of the Manggalili clan was the senior son of the senior Marrakulu woman of her generation. As such he acted as manager, ensuring the proper performance of his mother's ritual.

Most importantly, leaders from the Rirratjingu clan – Wandjuk Marika, Roy Dadaynga Marika and Jacky Milirrpum Marika – played pivotal roles in the ceremony. (The 2002 Djungguwan was performed in honour of the latter two of these men.) This ceremony was a celebration of the Law of the two Wawilak Sisters, a memorial for the dead and an initiation for the living.

Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy is not just a film of a ceremony but much more: it tells us what the land means to Dundiwuy, and it shows the connection between people, clans, song, dance, art and land.

Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, was produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

In Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (2002) the clan members who lead the ceremony are Wanyubi Marika of the Rirratjingu clan and Wukun Dennis Wanambi of the Marrakulu.

They are very concerned about the threat western culture poses to their culture and their children, especially the negative influences of drugs and alcohol. They wanted this ceremony recorded so that their children would be able to see it, understand it and perform it in the future.

Director Trevor Graham talks about how the film came about.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Footage from three different Djungguwan ceremonies from 1966, 1976 and 2002 illustrates the role of dance in the Yolngu ceremony.

This excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land includes footage from the Film Australia documentaries The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy (Ian Dunlop, 1976) and Djungguwan - Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham, 2002).

Director Trevor Graham talks about filming Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (2002) on his own and subsequently with director of photography (DOP) Jenni Meaney.

It is interesting to see the different approach Graham has taken to his filming of preparations for the Djungguwan. His desire to create a sense of intimacy is in contrast with the approach of the 1966 film crew who covered the action of the group in wide shots – not picking out any individuals.

The clan members who lead the ceremony are Wanyubi Marika of the Rirratjingu clan and Wukun Dennis Wanambi of the Marrakulu. They are very concerned about the threat western culture poses to their culture and their children, especially the negative influences of drugs and alcohol.

They wanted this ceremony recorded so that their children would be able to see it, understand it and perform it in the future.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

In this excerpt from Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, director Trevor Graham talks about filming Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (2002).

The clan members who lead the ceremony are Wanyubi Marika of the Rirratjingu clan and Wukun Dennis Wanambi of the Marrakulu. They are very concerned about the threat western culture poses to their culture and their children, especially the negative influences of drugs and alcohol.

They wanted this ceremony recorded so that their children would be able to see it, understand it and perform it in the future.

In this film the preparation of the ceremonial poles and artefacts in the men's camp is no longer restricted as it was in the previous films. Here we see Dennis and Wanyubi singing and painting the story of the Wawilak Sisters.

When the poles are completed, there are five days of ritual held at the ceremonial ground in the community before the poles are finally carried out and erected on the ground. Here they act as a reminder of the law and of two men, Jacky Milirrpum and Roy Dadaynga Marika.

Boys, men and women paint their bodies with traditional designs. At the men's camp, the boys are initiated into the Law. The final part of the ceremony is led by the women as they weep in memory of the two men.

Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land is a Film Australia National Interest Program DVD from 2006, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Narritjin Maymuru from the Manggalili clan explains how the creator ancestors made the Law before they changed into fish and animals.

The Yolngu believe that their world was made by creator ancestors who journeyed across Arnhem Land. The Wawilak Sisters are major creator ancestors of the Rirratjingu and Marrakulu clans.

The Djungguwan ceremony reenacts parts of the Wawilak Sisters' journey and restates the Law that they laid down. The Yolngu elders use the occasion of the ceremony to teach and discuss this Law.

Anthropologist Professor Nicolas Peterson talks about there being many stories that explain the creation of the Yolngu universe.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

This short excerpt shows footage of the Djungguwan ceremony at Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1966.

The traditional Yolngu, or Yolŋu ceremony, is also known as the Djuŋguan, Djuŋgewon, Djungguan or Djuŋguwan ceremony.

Anthropologist Nicholas Peterson talks about their approach to filming.

Two film versions of the Djungguwan were produced for what is now the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS): a 50-minute story of the ceremony and a five-hour archival record.

Both accounts, however, were restricted in 1967 as they contained scenes of sacred dances performed at the secret men's camp – dances that are to be viewed by initiated Yolngu men only. Those restricted scenes are not included here.

This version comes from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

This is an excerpt from footage of the Djungguwan ceremony at Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1966.

The traditional Yolngu, or Yolŋu ceremony, is also known as the Djuŋguan, Djuŋgewon, Djungguan or Djuŋguwan ceremony.

Two film versions of the Djungguwan were produced for what is now the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS): a 50-minute story of the ceremony and a five-hour archival record.

Both accounts, however, were restricted in 1967 as they contained scenes of sacred dances performed at the secret men's camp – dances that are to be viewed by initiated Yolngu men only. Those restricted scenes are not included here.

Anthropologist Nicholas Peterson talks in voice-over about the rationale behind the filming and their approach.

This version comes from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Yolngu elder Mithili Wanambi talks about the importance of his people living on their traditional clan lands in this excerpt from Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy (1976).

He says that it is 'to show that our foundation is in this country' and that he hopes the film he has encouraged Ian Dunlop to make will help outsiders to understand 'about our land and our sacred Law'.

The Djungguwan is a ceremony of the Rirratjingu and the Marrakulu clans of the Yolngu people. It is a ceremony of transition, teaching and remembering. It is an initiation ceremony that aims to teach young boys about discipline, law and respect for the traditions of their people.

Through song, dance and art, the ceremony tells a narrative about two ancestral beings, the Wawilak Sisters, as they journey through country creating each tribe and clan and giving them their law.

The Djungguwan is also sometimes used as a circumcision ceremony, linked to ideas and images of fertility and growth.

Anthropologist Professor Howard Morphy is interviewed in this clip.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

It includes footage from the Film Australia documentary The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy of the Djungguwan ceremony filmed in 1976.

Director Ian Dunlop talks about working with cinematographer Dean Semler on the five-part Film Australia documentary The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy filmed in 1976, about the Djungguwan ceremony. Excerpts of the original film are shown.

This ceremony was held on Marrakulu land (Gurka'wuy, on Trial Bay) and was primarily initiated and organised by Dundiwuy and Mithili Wanambi, senior Marrakulu clansmen.

The Marrakulu/Rirratjingu clan event shows the relationship between the Yolngu and their art, song, dance and land.

Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy is not just a film of a ceremony but much more: it tells us what the land means to Dundiwuy, and it shows the connection between people, clans, song, dance, art and land.

This version comes from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Director Ian Dunlop points out that every Djungguwan ceremony is unique.

He refers to the accelerating impact of outside forces that came with bauxite mining and the new mining town of Nhulunbuy. This made it more and more difficult for the Yolngu to instruct their young people in traditional ways.

Marrakulu Elder Dundiwuy Wanambi speaks about films' role as 'history for generation and generation'.

This clip includes excerpts from the five-part Film Australia documentary The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy filmed in 1976, about the Djungguwan ceremony.

This ceremony was held on Marrakulu land (Gurka'wuy, on Trial Bay) and was primarily initiated and organised by Dundiwuy and Mithili Wanambi, senior Marrakulu clansmen.

The Marrakulu/Rirratjingu clan event shows the relationship between the Yolngu and their art, song, dance and land.

Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy is not just a film of a ceremony but much more: it tells us what the land means to Dundiwuy, and it shows the connection between people, clans, song, dance, art and land.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Director Trevor Graham explains the connections between the documentary Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham, 2002) and Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy (Ian Dunlop, 1976).

The children from the 1976 film that were being initiated are now leading the Djungguwan ceremony.

Milirrpum Marika was the father of Wanyubi Marika and Mithili Wanambi was the father of Wukun Dennis Wanambi.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

The Djungguwan ceremony is like a theatrical performance with props and sets.

This clip looks at the sacred emblems of the Djungguwan: the madayin sacred objects, manikay songs, miny'tji ancestral designs, rangga sacred objects, bunggul ceremonial dance and gundimolk ceremonial ground.

Anthropologist Professor Nicolas Peterson talks about the instruments of ceremony used in the Djungguwan.

The substance of Yolngu ceremonies is the enactment of the events and actions of the ancestral beings who created the land and a restatement of the laws that they made. This is manifested through the songs, dances, paintings, objects and sequences of action that make up ceremonial performances.

To the Yolngu these are not only means of expression, but also part of the essence of ancestral beings themselves. They provide a connection with the world of the ancestral past.

Each clan possesses a set of songs, paintings and sacred objects that can be referred to collectively as the clan 'madayin' or sacred Law. The clan's sacred Law relates to the action and evidences of the major ancestral beings who created the clan's land.

The Law of each clan is linked to, and overlaps with, the comparable Law of several other clans of the same moiety. This is because the Law refers to the ancestral beings whose journeys always covered the territories of more than one clan.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Here we see Dennis and Wanyubi singing and painting the story of the Wawilak Sisters from the 2002 documentary Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham).

When the poles are completed, there are five days of ritual held at the ceremonial ground in the community before the poles are finally carried out and erected on the ground. Here they act as a reminder of the law and of two men, Jacky Milirrpum and Roy Dadaynga Marika.

Boys, men and women paint their bodies with traditional designs. At the men's camp, the boys are initiated into the Law. The final part of the ceremony is led by the women as they weep in memory of the two men.

The substance of Yolngu ceremonies is the enactment of the events and actions of the ancestral beings who created the land and a restatement of the laws that they made. This is manifested through the songs, dances, paintings, objects and sequences of action that make up ceremonial performances.

To the Yolngu these are not only means of expression, but also part of the essence of ancestral beings themselves. They provide a connection with the world of the ancestral past.

Each clan possesses a set of songs, paintings and sacred objects that can be referred to collectively as the clan 'madayin' or sacred Law. The clan's sacred Law relates to the action and evidences of the major ancestral beings who created the clan's land.

The Law of each clan is linked to, and overlaps with, the comparable Law of several other clans of the same moiety. This is because the Law refers to the ancestral beings whose journeys always covered the territories of more than one clan.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Wanyubi Marika (Dhuwa moiety) explains that the poles he is painting represent his father, Jacky Milirrpum, and his father's younger brother Roy Dadaynga Marika. In his lifetime, Wanyubi's father was the third elder or clan leader of the Rirratjingu mala.

When the poles are completed, there are five days of ritual held at the ceremonial ground in the community before the poles are finally carried out and erected on the ground. Here they act as a reminder of the law and of two men, Jacky Milirrpum and Roy Dadaynga Marika.

Boys, men and women paint their bodies with traditional designs. At the men's camp, the boys are initiated into the Law. The final part of the ceremony is led by the women as they weep in memory of the two men.

The substance of Yolngu ceremonies is the enactment of the events and actions of the ancestral beings who created the land and a restatement of the laws that they made. This is manifested through the songs, dances, paintings, objects and sequences of action that make up ceremonial performances.

To the Yolngu these are not only means of expression, but also part of the essence of ancestral beings themselves. They provide a connection with the world of the ancestral past.

Each clan possesses a set of songs, paintings and sacred objects that can be referred to collectively as the clan 'madayin' or sacred Law. The clan's sacred Law relates to the action and evidences of the major ancestral beings who created the clan's land.

The Law of each clan is linked to, and overlaps with, the comparable Law of several other clans of the same moiety. This is because the Law refers to the ancestral beings whose journeys always covered the territories of more than one clan.

This excerpt comes from the documentary Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham, 2002).

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

The ceremonial grounds are prepared for the Djungguwan Ceremony.

The first clip is from Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham, 2002). The second is from The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy (Ian Dunlop), about the Djungguwan ceremony filmed in 1976.

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

Wanyubi Marika (Dhuwa moiety) makes decorative armbands and headbands from lorikeet feathers for the Djungguwan Ceremony in 2002.

He also uses lorikeet feathers to decorate poles representing his father Jacky Milirrpum (an elder or clan leader of the Rirratjingu mala), his father's younger brother Roy Dadaynga Marika, and their Law.

The substance of Yolngu ceremonies is the enactment of the events and actions of the ancestral beings who created the land and a restatement of the laws that they made. This is manifested through the songs, dances, paintings, objects and sequences of action that make up ceremonial performances.

To the Yolngu these are not only means of expression, but also part of the essence of ancestral beings themselves. They provide a connection with the world of the ancestral past.

Each clan possesses a set of songs, paintings and sacred objects that can be referred to collectively as the clan 'madayin' or sacred Law. The clan's sacred Law relates to the action and evidences of the major ancestral beings who created the clan's land.

The Law of each clan is linked to, and overlaps with, the comparable Law of several other clans of the same moiety. This is because the Law refers to the ancestral beings whose journeys always covered the territories of more than one clan.

This clip contains excerpts from the 2002 documentary Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future (Trevor Graham) and The Djungguwan of Gurka'wuy (Ian Dunlop, 1976).

This is an excerpt from the 2006 Film Australia National Interest Program DVD, Ceremony: The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land, produced in association with Denise Haslem Productions. It was made in collaboration with Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association and the Rirratjingu Association.

In 2002 Wanyubi Marika was concerned about the many young men who were drinking in the community, and the number of alcohol-related deaths. Wanyubi wanted to use the Djungguwan as a ceremony to instil discipline and respect for traditional Law in those who participated.

He also wanted to record the ceremony to 'speak to the future', just as his fathers had done all those years ago in the Djungguwan at Gurka'wuy (1976).

The 2002 Djungguwan was performed in honour of those fathers and recorded in the Film Australia documentary Djungguwan – Speaking to the Future.