Jordyn Freed

ATSI 1011
3 June 2016
Final Assignment
Indigenous Australian oral traditions contain and transmit important scientific
information across generations. Agree or disagree with this statement and outline your
reasoning
Oral tradition is defined by using spoken language in order to pass down information,
stories, and lessons from one generation to the next. In aboriginal culture, oral tradition is found
very sacred and important because of its ability to keep tradition and culture alive. The question
of whether these stories contain and transmit important scientific information across generations
must be broken down further before it can fully answered. When broken down into its parts the
question asks if oral tradition is effective and if there is valid scientific aspects and importance
found in these stories. At first glance the answer to these two questions may seem to be doubtful.
However, when further examined it becomes clear that oral tradition is effective, and the
information Aboriginals share is not only important, but also contains valuable scientific
information.
Oral tradition is not perfect because whenever humans are directly involved in a situation
the possibility of error increases. However, oral tradition in Aboriginal culture is very old and
vital to the survival of the culture so even though some stories might change in a small way, the
main ideas will still remain. For example, in Martin Nakata's article The Cultural Interface of
Islander and Scientific knowledge, he discusses how stories of the dugong were passed down to
him from older generations (Nakata 2010: 53). Although these stories may have been told to him

in different ways the important parts of the stories that make them worth telling remains the
same. In the case of the dugong story this would be the constellations, sea grass, and strategies
for catching the dugong. The idea that this story has gone through many people, but still remains
full of useful information proves that oral tradition is an effective way of sharing ideas.
Not only does Martin Nakata's story of the dugongs prove that oral tradition is a good
way to share information, but it also discloses that Aboriginals share scientific and important
ideas. Many years after Aboriginals had been hunting the dugongs, modern technology finally
caught up and studied the dugongs feeding patterns. Although, new technology was able to catch
the dugongs more efficiently the information gathered was similar to that of Torres Straight
Islanders (Nakata 2010: 56). In addition, modern day science actually hurt the dugong population
because of how quickly the dugongs were being hunted whereas the Torres Straight Islanders
only hunted to meet their needs. Another example of oral tradition containing scientific
information can be found in Marcia Langton's Burning Questions where she discusses Aboriginal
use and safety concerning fires (Langton 1998: 1). In this article, Langton shares how from a
young age Aboriginal children are taught that fire is not always destructive, but rather for a way
for things to be reborn. The burnings that Aboriginals conducted were a way for them to hunt,
and to spread new life. Today the government uses this strategy so bush fires do not occur and
destroy homes. Again this example shows that Aboriginal people were ahead of the modern
world, and that their stories ad traditions hold valuable information. In fact, Indigenous people
are more thoughtful and careful when it comes to fires because of the information passed down
to them from past generations. Finally, Indigenous Australians have paid attention to the events
in the sky for directions, keeping track of time, and searching for food and have passed down this
information through oral tradition. Duane Hamacher and Ray Norris share how oral traditions of

Aboriginal people explain events such as solstices and equinox, and that examples like these
prove Aboriginal Australians were more advanced than originally thought (Hamacher and Norris
2011:4). In addition, the stories told by these Aboriginals definitely contained scientific
information that helped them in their daily lives.
Ultimately, Aboriginal people have used oral tradition to pass down important and
scientific information from generation to generation. Examples such as the hunting of the
dugongs, creating bush fires on purpose, and being able to use what happens in the sky in many
different ways prove that Aboriginal oral stories contained vital information to their survival and
also scientific facts. In addition, the important parts of these stories were sometimes ahead of
modern technologies which also suggest that western society could also learn from Aboriginal
stories.
References
Hamacher, D. and Norris, R. (2011). Bridging the gap through Australian cultural astronomy.
Proc. IAU, pp.282-290.
Langton, M. 1998. Burning questions. Darwin: Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural
Resource Management, Northern Territory University.
Nakata, M. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and the Cultural Interface: underlying issues at the
intersection of knowledge and information systems. IFLA Journal, vol.5, no.6, pp.281-291.

Marcia Langton (1994: 105) states that the motivations behind Aboriginal community
video production and television transmission can be seen as basic issues of selfdetermination, cultural maintenance and the prevention of cultural disruption. Discuss

this quote in relation to a film or media example from the course materials or from your
own research.
The fear of traditions or cultures fading or even disappearing is one of the reasons there
are so many different types of ways to preserve a culture. For example, there is oral tradition,
songs, written works, and as technology has advanced there is even television, movies, websites,
and applications. In order to keep this information as pure and truthful to the culture it comes
from it is imperative that said culture is involved in the creation of whatever medium is used to
keep the culture alive. All of this can be applied to the indigenous people of Australia because of
their struggle to get recognition from Australians who are not Aboriginals, and even the
government. In order for Aboriginals to share information about their culture, traditions, and
history some have turned to movies and television programs in order to reach a wider audience.
An example of this can be found in the movie Ten Canoes because of the heavy Aboriginal
influence and involvement in the creation of this motion picture. Ten Canoes' simple plot line,
use of aboriginal actors, and using narrative to tell the story are just some of the ways this movie
helps preserve Aboriginal culture.
Although it is extremely important that Aboriginal culture is passed down information
from generation to generation it is also useful if people from other cultures are aware of
Aboriginal stories. This is because Aboriginal culture and traditions are starting to blend with the
western world so it is important Aboriginals remember where they came from. A movie like Ten
Canoes serves as a device that will preserve Aboriginal culture, but also educate the Western
world. A movie is something that can become timeless no cherished in a culture if it is made
well, and one man feels this is true of Ten Canoes when he says, "Everything is changing, everything is going, going, gone now. The only thing the children know is some ceremony ... they not

even normal kids anymore. Maybe they gonna keep this film with them so they can put it in their
head" (Davis 2007: 9). By creating something that can be enjoyed by a large audience, the
chance of it being forgotten decreases dramatically. However, it is important that the movie
remains true to Aboriginal culture and tradition, and does not assimilate in order to fit into the
western world like many movies or technologies often do (Christie 2005: 62).
Ten Canoes is able to reach wider audiences while maintaining the integrity of Aboriginal
Culture because of its use of narration, Aboriginal actors, and simple plot. The movie uses
narration to tell the story of goose hunting which is typically how stories are passed down from
generation to generation. In a sense, Ten Canoes is using oral tradition to keep a culture alive, but
in the movie it is using a different medium than normal. In addition to the narrative storytelling,
the simple plot of Ten Canoes keeps the focus on Aboriginal culture. Many movies about
Aboriginals do not solely focus on the people themselves, but rather show times of the invaders.
By sharing a story about a simple time Ten Canoes is able to remain more truthful and less
exaggerated which allows the movie to avoid being culturally disrupted. In addition, by selecting
Aboriginals to play the role of aboriginals in the movie, Ten Canoes leaves the power of
portraying a true Aboriginal person in the actors hands. This can put a lot of pressure on the
actors; however, this is also the most effective way to get the real feelings of Aboriginals on the
big screen.
Ultimately, fear is something that can inspire a positive movement, and this is the case
with the Aboriginal movie Ten Canoes. In order to preserve and keep Aboriginal culture pure,
the movie Ten Canoes has a simple plot told by a narrator and Aboriginal actors portraying real
and raw emotion. In addition to worrying that their culture could disappear, Aboriginals also
want others to understand and accept their traditions. By creating a movie like Ten Canoes,

Aboriginals are able to share a part of their cultures with future generations of Indigenous and
non-indigenous people. The more people who know, understand, and care about a culture, the
higher the chance that it will be accepted, remembered, and shared.
References
Christie, M. (2005). Words, ontologies and Aboriginal databases. pp. 52-63
Davis, T. 2007. Remembering our ancestors: cross-cultural collaboration and the mediation of
Aboriginal culture and history in Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer, 2006). Studies In Australasian
Cinema, vol.1, no.1, pp.5-14.
Ten Canoes. (2006). Australia: Rolf de Heer