FILM AUSTRALIA COLLECTION

Title Details

Part 7 Spear- Thrower Making - Stone Flaking - Gum Preparation

A man of the Western Desert makes a spear-thrower or woomera.
Series : People of the Australian Western Desert | Episode : 7 | Year : 1966 | Total Duration : 32 Minutes | Producer : John Martin-Jones
Director : Ian Dunlop |
Aboriginal man Minma selecting suitable acacia tree to make spear thrower from. Uses axe to cut branch, also uses axe as a wedge hitting it with stone and heavy piece of wood. CU's man face whilst he works, flies. Large piece of wood broken away from branch and carried away. (May 1965)
Access No. 126052 | 6 mins | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Aboriginal man Minma and toddler son walking together. Man uses axe to carve spear thrower from piece of acacia tree he has cut. Small boy watches. Some CU's of their faces. Older boy joins them bringing iron bar (adze) which man uses to chisel into wood. Both boys watch as man works. He tests spear thrower as it nears completion. CU's of him working with tools, using feet as workbench. (May 1965)
Access No. 126053 | 6 mins 52 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Pan landscape to aboriginal man Minma looking for suitable stone to set into the spear thrower he has just made. CU as he picks up stone flake, makes edge using striking stone. (May 1965)
Access No. 126054 | 2 mins 33 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Aboriginal man Minma walks around spinifex grass to find suitable species that yields gum. He sits down and uses feet to break away tufts avoiding spines. Takes wooden dish and places grass in it. Beats grass with wood to break away parts secreting gum. CU gum on sheaths of grass. Man uses hand to pick out broken grass from bowl. (May 1965)
Access No. 126055 | 3 mins 48 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Aboriginal woman, wife of Minma, works with spinifex grass shaking it to separate grass and gum. Man collects dry bark to use on fire to melt gum. Holds burning bark over spinifex grass to soften gum which he winds onto stick. He heats gum again so that it can be used on spear thrower. Shapes it with hands. (May 1965)
Access No. 126056 | 5 mins 31 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Aboriginal man Minma takes small branch from acacia tree, heats it in fire then uses teeth to bend it. Shapes it into peg using axe and feet as workbench. CU's face as he works. Chews piece of tendon from kangaroo's leg to soften it then uses tendon to bind peg onto spear thrower. He sprinkles sand onto binding to tighten it. (May 1965)
Access No. 126057 | 5 mins 15 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |
Aboriginal man Minma inspects the spear thrower he has just made. He hollows out small hole in spear so that peg on spear thrower will fit. He tests balance of spear thrower as he sits on ground. (May 1965)
Access No. 126058 | 1 min 40 secs | 1960s | Tika Tika, Warburton Mission area, WA, Australia | © Restricted Access - Contact Film Australia Collection Library | B&W |