
We see people preparing food for the tombstone opening. The narrator (Helen Anu) tells us in voice-over that it is the responsibility of the family to decide on the timeframe in which the opening occurs, and who has what responsibility in the preparation.
Summary by Romaine Moreton
This clip gives us the opportunity to see a tradition of the Torres Strait peoples, as they get ready for a tombstone opening. It shows the preparation of various foods such as fish, turtle, dugong and different kinds of vegetables.
An observational documentary about the Torres Strait tradition of unveiling the tombstone of the deceased a year after death.
Tombstone Unveiling is part of the Nganampa Anwernekenhe series produced by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) Productions. Nganampa Anwernekenhe means 'ours’ in the Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte lanuages, and the series aims to contribute to the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.