This is the final film production documenting the Board for Anthropological Research (BAR) expedition to The Granites, Central Australia [Northern Territory] during 6-27 August 1936. The expedition party included numerous BAR members.
JB Cleland (AA 60) in his report on the expedition states that 2,100 feet of 16mm black and white film as well as 150 feet of 16mm colour film was exposed. The cinematographers were HK Fry (AA 105) and CP Mountford (AA 228). The final film production consists of Reels 1-5 containing approximately 1,760 feet with intertitles.
Cleland reports that 'Mountford carried out special investigations on the customs, the art and rock paintings of the native, obtaining cinema records of how the later work is done.' This footage is not found in the BAR 'final film production,' it is possible that additional film relating to this expedition can be found in the CP Mountford collection at the State Library of South Australia.
In addition EC Black (AA 31) shot a quantity of 9.5mm nitrate film that was not included in the 'final film production.' Access DVDs (AA 346/9/11/25 - AA 346/9/11/26) are edits of the footage relating to The Granites expedition from the Couper Black Collection (AA 31/10).
The South Australian Museum Archives Master Preservation Tape (AA 346/9/11/17) consists of Reels 1- 5 (AA 346/9/11/1 - AA 346/9/11/5), duration 50 minutes 23 seconds. These films were processed in the BAR Film Catalogue as B#41 - B#45. This expedition film was previous held in the HK Fry collection (AA 105) and was transferred into the BAR collection (AA 346) in December 2005.
The method adopted by BAR expeditions to undertake research and record the results involved assigning a unique number to each individual (here called 'individual subject number'). This number was given the expedition symbol as a prefix, and remained consistent throughout the research. This expedition was assigned the symbol 'L.' All individuals recorded during the expedition were assigned an individual subject number, for example [L27]. Where possible the 'individual subject number' of those who appear in film have been noted.
In this summary all intertitles are italicised and within quotation marks. All spelling within intertitles have been left as originally spelt. Language and terms which reflect the author's attitude or that of the period in which the item was produced may be considered inappropriate today.
The time coded summary is in minutes and seconds. Following the summary of this film is a list of references. Formats Held: 16mm, SP Betacam, Digital Betacam, Access DVDs.
Summary (Time Coded): Taken from Access DVD 3 (AA 346/9/11/21)
00:00 'The Granites, CA, [NT] 1936.'
00:00 'Cultural Sensitivity Warning.'
00:00 'The Museum Board of South Australia © 1936.'
01:00 'Reel 1. Granites Expedition. 1936.'
01:05 'Board for Anthropological Research, University of Adelaide, GRANITES EXPEDITION. AUGUST, 1936. Photography by CP Mountford and HK Fry.'
01:13 Map of Australia, a progressive line outlines the route from Adelaide to The Granites, Northern Territory.
01:19 'ALICE SPRINGS'
01:23 Expedition car drives past.
01:34 'A Ghost Gum (Eucalyptus Papuana).'
01:37 An expedition member walks on foot to examine a ghost gum tree.
01:42 Map of Australia, a progressive line continues to outline the route taken by the expedition party.
01:43 'Across the 200 miles of desert.'
01:46 Two expedition cars drive past, views of vegetation from the moving car.
02:05 'Parakeelya (Calandrinia sp.)'
02:07 Shot of Parakeelya (Calandrinia sp.)
02:10 Map of Australia, a progressive line continues to outline the route taken by the expedition party.
02:11 'The Granites. Borgidji.'
02:12 Mining operation, Australian Aboriginal and white workers.
02:20 Restricted Content Starts.
12:42 Restricted Content Ends.
12:42 'End of Reel 1. Granites Expedition, 1936.'
12:49 'Reel 2. Granites Expedition. 1936.'
12:51 'Smoke Signals.'
12:55 'Where there is smoke there must be fire.'
12:59 Two Australian Aboriginal men make fire by the rotary method.
13:12 'Smouldering wood dust, powdered manure and grass are coaxed into flame.'
13:18 The fire is lit.
13:27 'Large areas of lighted Triodia are used to signal neighbouring tribes. '
13:31 Footage of the spreading grass fire and rising smoke.
14:13 'Making Pitjuri the Chewing Narcotic.'
14:18 Plants are gathered.
14:22 'A True Tobacco, (Nicotiana benthamiana) grows in the Granite Outcrops.'
14:28 Plants are gathered.
14:37 'Acacia Leaves provide the necessary ash.'
14:41 The plants are passed over a fire and the leaves removed.
15:18 'With which the Nicotiana leaves are mixed by chewing.'
15:22 The pitjuri is mixed with the acacia ash and chewed.
15:50 'Boomerang Throwing.'
15:54 'An Australian Aboriginal man throws a boomerang.'
16:02 'Slow Motion. Notice Freedom of Action.'
16:06 Throwing of a boomerang in slow motion.
16:18 'Fire Making by the "Saw" Method.'
16:23 A suitable log is gathered.
16:29 'Splitting the Log with a Boomerang.'
16:32 Using a boomerang to split the log.
16:41 'The Wedged Open to provide a Space for the Dry Grass.'
16:46 Making a wedge and packing it with dry grass.
17:14 Two Australian Aboriginal men make fire by the 'saw' method.
17:31 'The now smouldering Wood Dust is carefully Tipped on Grass.'
17:35 The fire is made.
17:32 Restricted Content Start.
18:46 Restricted Content End.
18:46 'Hand Signals.'
18:51 These are used in gesture language or when hunting.
18:56 'Mountain Devil.'
18:58 Hand signal.
19:00 'Kangaroo.'
19:02 Hand signal.
19:05 'Opossum.'
19:07 Hand signal.
19:09 'Emu.'
19:11 Hand signal.
19:14 'Bustard.'
19:15 Hand signal.
19:17 'Dingo.'
19:19 Hand signal.
19:21 'Rabbit.'
19:23 Hand signal.
19:28 'Yam.'
19:30 Hand signal.
19:32 'Snake'
19:33 Hand signal.
19:35 'Small Lizard.'
19:37 Hand signal.
19:42 'Camel.'
19:44 Hand signal.
19:48 'Water.'
19:50 Hand signal.
19:52 'The aborigine is also an expert at imitating tracks.'
19:57 'Human Being.'
19:58 Tracks.
20:07 'Camel.'
20:09 Tracks.
20:13 'Kangaroo.'
20:15 Tracks.
20:21 'Small Lizard.'
20:23 Tracks.
20:28 'Opossum.'
20:30 Tracks.
20:35 'Emu.'
20:37 Tracks.
20:48 'Dingo.'
20:49 Tracks.
20:56 'Snake.'
20:57 Tracks.
21:01 'Mountain Devil.'
21:03 Tracks.
21:08 'Rabbit.'
21:09 Tracks.
21:14 End of Reel 2. Granites Expedition. 1936.
21:20 Start of Reel 3. Granites Expedition. 1936. [No intertitle]
21:20 'Lizard Catching and Cooking.'
21:23 'Children Supplement their Food Supply by capturing Small Game.'
21:28 Two young Australian Aboriginal boys search for small game.
22:01 An Australian Aboriginal boy with a lizard.
22:05 'Preparing the meal.'
22:08 The lizard is cooked on a fire and eaten.
22:51 'Now for a Drink.'
22:54 An Australian Aboriginal boy drinks water from a rock-hole.
23:05 'Satisfaction.'
23:06 An Australian Aboriginal boy smiles at the camera.
23:08 'Snake Cooking and Eating.'
23:13 Preparation of the snake and cooking in hot ashes.
25:01 'Extracting the Eggs.'
25:05 Further preparations before eating.
25:00 'Seed Gathering and Grinding.'
25:26 An Australian Aboriginal woman gathers leaves from a tree.
25:41 'The Gum Tree yields a dish.'
25:44 An Australian Aboriginal woman removes a large piece of bark from a tree. Then shapes into an even dish shape.
26:25 An Australian Aboriginal woman gathers grass seed which she carries in her bark dish.
26:29 She uses her heel to remove the husks from the seed.
26:41 'Grinding with the heel removes the husk of the Grass Seed.'
26:48 Using the heel to remove the husks from the seed.
27:01 'Winnowing.'
27:04 An Australian Aboriginal woman winnows grass seed
27:40 A group of Australian Aboriginal women sit under the shade of tree and winnow seed. The seed is then placed on a grinding stone.
28:09 'Grinding the Seed.'
28:12 Water is used to grind the seed. The meal is moved off the grind stone to the bark dish.
29:48 The meal is poured from the bark dish into hot ashes
30:07 'Hardening the Surface by the heat of burning Triodia Stalks.'
30:12 Placing burning triodia stalks over the dough, and once the top of the bread is
cooked it is covered with hot ash.
30:54 Removing the cooked bread from the ashes.
31:10 'End of Reel 3. Granites Expedition. 1936.'
31:18 Start of Reel 4. Granites Expedition. 1936.' [No intertitle]
31:18 'Adelaide University Anthropological Expedition to the Walpiri Tribe at The Granites August 1936.'
31:25 'Tjungarai makes hair string (Jumaru) and a pubic tassel (Mudjari)'
31:30 'The string is spun by twirling the spindle forwards on the thigh.'
31:37 Tjungarai (also 'Tapanjari') [L27] of the Walpiri people makes hair string with a spindle.
31:47 'The beginning and the end of the string are brought together and the double thread wound into a ball.'
32:55 Removing the spindle, tying both end and winding the hair string into a ball.
32:25 'The double thread is spun into twine. Note that the direction of the twist is reversed.'
34:33 The double thread is spun.
35:37 'The twine is wound into a small skein. Each loop of this is removed and rolled forwards on the thigh to make one strand of the tassel, the direction of the twist being reversed once more.'
35:51 Making of the tassel.
37:47 End of Reel 4. Granites Expedition. 1936.' [No intertitle]
37:54 Start of Reel 5. Granites Expedition. 1936.' [No intertitle]
37:54 'Adelaide University Anthropological Expedition to the Walpiri Tribe at The Granites August 1936.'
38:02 Restricted Content Starts.
51:23 Restricted Content Ends.
51:23 End of Reel 5. Granites Expedition. 1936.' [No intertitle]
Tribal / language groups recorded during this expedition as recorded in the Data Cards (AA 346/4/18)
Tindale Tribes: Ngardi; Walpiri.
AIATSIS Tribal / Language Groups: Ngarti; Warlpiri.