Nangamai (Dream): First Nations stories online

Trailblazers

Director Rachel Perkins

In our collection of First Nations Portraits you will find interviews and stories featuring filmmakers Rachel Perkins and Wayne Blair, athletes Cathy Freeman and Mark Ella, as well as political activists, singers, and prominent and pioneering figures in their fields.

Explore more key moments in Australia's history, including Dr Perkins and the 1965 Freedom Ride, featuring excerpts from the documentary Blood Brothers - Freedom Ride (1993).

The landmark series First Australians examines what happens when the world's oldest living culture is overrun by the world's most powerful empire.

Learn more about Eddie Koiki Mabo and the monumental High Court Mabo decision that bears his name, in our Mabo curated collection.

Icons

Musicians Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter

Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter were partners in life and music for more than 35 years. This curated collection pays tribute to their careers as musicians, songwriters, singers and influential voices for the Stolen Generations.

Evonne Goolagong, Anthony Mundine and the Krakouer brothers are just a few of the sporting icons highlighted in this article about First Nations Sporting Moments.

Explore our Deborah Mailman collection to see how her work has reframed the way First Nations actors are cast in mainstream productions.

Learn more about the life, cultural beliefs and career of Yolngu man David Gulpilil, who starred in some of Australia's most iconic films including Storm Boy (1976), Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002).

David Gulpilil in Storm Boy (Henri Safran, 1976)

Dreamers

Tom E Lewis and David Gulpilil in Crocodile Dreaming

Our collection of First Nations Short Films includes early work by Wayne Blair, Beck Cole, Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton and more. Notable in their own right, these films also became stepping stones to these artists' later internationally acclaimed feature films.

The article A Short History of Indigenous Filmmaking outlines the compelling arc of First Nations storytelling on film in this country, from early representations through a 'white' lens to a generation of filmmakers telling their own stories on screen.

Ablaze is the story of Bill Onus, a Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri man from Victoria and the first Indigenous Australian filmmaker. Watch a Q&A with Ablaze filmmakers Tiriki Onus (Bill's grandson) and Alec Morgan.

DEADLY Sounds

Jimmy Little's 'Royal Telephone' was inducted into the Sounds of Australia in 2012

First Nations Sounds of Australia features the voices of First Nations artists who have been inducted into the NFSA's Sounds of Australia registry. Listen to wax cylinder recordings from the 1890s, poetry, radio broadcasts, popular music and more.

Our Black and Deadly collection celebrates the First Nations women of music, from jazz pioneers like Georgia Lee and Wilma Reading to 21st century stars, including Thelma Plum and Emily Wurramara.

The history of two popular songs from the early 1990s are documented in these articles celebrating Yothu Yindi's 'Treaty' and the Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly tribute to Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji people, 'From Little Things Big Things Grow'.

Ceremony, art and Culture

Djungguwan Ceremony

The Djungguwan Ceremony is performed by the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land. This collection gives an insight into three different ceremonies, from 1966, 1976 and 2002.

The NFSA holds a vast array of films documenting Aboriginal and Torres Strait art and artists. See profiles of artists including Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Tracey Moffatt.

Twelve Canoes is a standalone website that paints a compelling portrait of the history, culture and place of the Yolngu people.

Dance on Screen

Ella Havelka in Ella

A celebration of Indigenous song and dance, from the traditional to the contemporary, the Carriberrie website offers a 360° experience set across stunning Australian landscapes. It features 156 dancers, 23 performances and 9 cultural groups.

Douglas Watkin’s documentary Ella is about the Australian Ballet's first Indigenous dancer, Ella Havelka, and the challenges she faced in making the transition from Bangarra Dance Company to performing traditional Western-style ballet. Listen to a Q&A with Ella Havelka and Douglas Watkins from 2019.

Dance also features on the big screen in Stephen Page's Spear (2015). The NFSA interviewed star Hunter Page-Lochard about making the film and the importance of dance in First Nations culture.

Carriberrie

Main image: Jimi Bani and Deborah Mailman in Mabo (Rachel Perkins, 2012).