Fire Making

Synopsis

The object of the series of films was to create a scientific record of the traditional life of Aboriginal people in the Western Desert of Australia. They concentrate on the subsistence technology of the Mandjindjara and the Ngadadjara tribes. The family involved had been living for a short period on a mission station, but returned to the desert at the request of the film crew to make the films.
Shows the laborious process a young boy goes through in order to make fire rubbing the edge of his spear-thrower across a split stick. The friction ignites kangaroo dung and dry kindling placed in the crack. Normally the Aborigines carried smouldering fire-sticks or kept fires going where possible.

Series

People of the Australian Western Desert, Series

Language

English

Country

Australia

Medium

Film; Film. 16mm. sd. b&w. 7 min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1965

Availability

Hire

Uses

Undergraduates. Postgraduates.

Subjects

Anthropology

Keywords

Aboriginal peoples; Australia; families

Credits

Director

Ian Dunlop

Producer

John Martin-Jones

Contributor

Robert Tonkinson

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Production Company

Name

Australian Commonwealth Film Unit

Sponsor

Name

Canberra

Address

Australia

Distributor

Name

Royal Anthropological Institute Film & Video Library, c/o Concord Media

Email

sales@concordvideo.co.uk

Web

http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/ External site opens in new window

Phone

01473 726012

Fax

01473 274531

Address

Rosehill Centre
22 Hines Road
Ipswich
IP3 9BG