Marrakulu Funeral - Yirrkala 1974

This film is a record of the funeral ceremony for a Marrakulu clan leader at Yirrkala in 1974. Through Marrakulu, Rirrat... (more)

This film is a record of the funeral ceremony for a Marrakulu clan leader at Yirrkala in 1974. Through Marrakulu, Rirratjingu and Djapu clan songs and dances the body of the leader is taken on both a spiritual journey to his clan lands and a physical journey from the hospital at the mining town of Nhulunbuy to Yirrkala. Here the coffin lies in state, before being taken in a grand ritual procession to its final burial at the cemetery at Yirrkala. (less)