Kanyini (2006)

Director:

Michelle Hogan

Writer:

Martin Lee (writer)

Release Date:

31 August 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Over 40,000 years of culture. One philosophy that connects us all.

Plot:

Australian Aborigine Bob Randall presents his spiritual philosophy.

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Bob Randall

...

Himself

Runtime:

53 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | Aboriginal

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Wisdom that is quickly dying off.

It is not often that Western ears get to hear indigenous wisdom from such an articulate and thoughtful source. It is very apparent that there has been something lost along the way on our march towards "progress" and "modernization". I suspect that such indigenous wisdom will fade in direct proportion to the rise continual degradation of our planet.

The only part that was at first annoying and then unnerving was how when Bob Randall referred to the Australian (or British, actually) imports, he would almost always use the singular personal pronoun "you". You stole us from our families. You took land that was never open for taking. You...you...you. But really, for a majority of the viewers, it does lead to one to speculate that if they too were indoctrinated with the then views of British superiority- moral, physical, spiritual- that we too would view these naked, gibbering, black-skinned primitives are not worth negotiating with, much less acknowledging as a human life.

Is Bob biased and completely one-sided? Yes. To suggest otherwise would be idiotic. But he has no reason to pretend there is another viable side to a story that involves indiscriminate killing, land grabbing, rape, kid napping, slavery and overall human degradation.

A must see movie. They lived as people who didn't see land, resources or humans as something to exploit, but as an integral part of who they were: their oneness. A lesson we desperately need.