Ten Canoes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ten Canoes
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Rolf de Heer Peter Djigirr
Produced by	Rolf de Heer Julie Ryan
Written by	Rolf de Heer
Narrated by	David Gulpilil
Starring	Jamie Gulpilil
Cinematography	Ian Jones
Editing by	Tania Nehme
Distributed by	Palace Films and Cinemas
Release date(s)	29 June 2006 (2006-06-29)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	Yolngu Matha English
Budget	A$2,200,000
Money made	A$3,511,649

Ten Canoes is an Australian movie from 2006. It's a drama film directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr. The main actor is Crusoe Kurddal. The idea for the movie came from a photo taken in 1936 by Donald Thomson. The photo showed ten people in canoes paddling across the Arafura Swamp.

This film is special because it's the first movie ever made entirely in Australian Aboriginal languages. It tells a story with a moral lesson. Parts of the movie are in colour, and other parts are in black and white. A narrator helps explain the story.

The Story of Ten Canoes

The movie takes place in Arnhem Land, Australia, long before Western people arrived. It shows a group of ten men who are hunting. The group's leader, Minygululu, tells a story to a younger man named Dayindi. Dayindi likes Minygululu's youngest wife. Minygululu's story is about another young man from the past who also wanted his older brother's youngest wife.

The parts of the movie with Dayindi and the hunting trip are in black and white. The story from the distant past is shown in colour. All the characters speak in Yolngu Matha, which are Indigenous languages. The movie has subtitles so everyone can understand. David Gulpilil narrates the film in English.

Minygululu's story is about a brave warrior named Ridjimiraril. Ridjimiraril thinks a visitor has taken his second wife. By mistake, Ridjimiraril kills a person from a nearby tribe. To stop a big war, the tribal laws say that Ridjimiraril must allow people from the dead man's tribe to throw spears at him from a distance. He can bring one companion with him, so he takes his younger brother, Yeeralparil. If either of them gets hit, the spearing stops, and justice is done.

Ridjimiraril is hit and badly hurt. He makes it back to his camp, where his oldest wife cares for him. When he knows he is dying, he performs a special dance. After he dies, his hair is cut, and his body is painted. This helps his spirit go to the next world.

Later, the older brother's second wife, who was thought to be kidnapped, returns to the camp. She explains that a different tribe, far away, had taken her. It took her a long time to get back. She is sad about her husband, Ridjimiraril, who attacked the wrong tribe. Now, she and the older wife marry Ridjimiraril's younger brother. The younger brother only wanted the youngest wife. But now he has to take care of all three wives and their many needs. This is much more work than he expected!

Minygululu tells this story to Dayindi to teach him about the responsibilities of being a husband and an important person in the tribe. In the end, Dayindi learns his lesson and stops trying to get Minygululu's young wife.

Actors and People Behind the Scenes

Most of the actors are from Ramingining in East Arnhem Land. They speak different kinds of the Yolngu Matha language family. Crusoe Kurddal is from Maningrida and speaks Kuninjku.

Cast

• Crusoe Kurddal – Ridjimiraril
• Jamie Gulpilil – Dayindi/Yeeralparil
• Richard Birrinbirrin – Birrinbirrin
• Peter Minygululu – Minygululu
• Frances Djulibing – Nowalingu
• David Gulpilil – The Storyteller
• Sonia Djarrabalminym – Banalandju
• Cassandra Malangarri Baker – Munandjarra
• Philip Gudthaykudthay – The Sorcerer
• Peter Djigirr – Canoeist/The Victim/Warrior
• Michael Dawu – Canoeist/The Stranger
• Bobby Bunungurr – Canoeist/Uncle
• Johnny Buniyira – Canoeist/Warrior
• Gil Birmingham – Canoeist/Warrior
• Steven Wilinydjanu Maliburr – Canoeist/Warrior

Filming Locations

• Arafura Swamp, Northern Territory, Australia
• Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia
• Ramingining, Northern Territory, Australia

Awards and Recognition

Ten Canoes won many awards for its amazing storytelling and filmmaking. Here are some of the awards it received:

Money Made by the Film

Ten Canoes earned A$3,511,649 at the box office in Australia. This shows how popular the movie was.

Twelve Canoes Project

After Ten Canoes became famous around the world, many people became interested in Yolngu culture. This led to an educational project called Twelve Canoes. It was created with the help of the people from Ramingining.

The project includes a website, videos, and a study guide. These focus on twelve important topics about Yolngu culture. A film with these twelve parts was shown on SBS TV in Australia. It is also available to watch online.

See also

• Cinema of Australia
• South Australian Film Corporation
• Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, a 2001 Canadian film entirely in Inuktitut by Inuit actors. It is also about an old Indigenous legend involving brothers.

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