This is the sixth of eleven film items documenting the Board for Anthropological Research (BAR) expedition to Macumba, South Australia and Alice Springs, Northern Territory, during 30 December 1926 - 19 January 1927.
The expedition party made base camps at 'Ross Waterhole, on Macumba Station, and about 40 miles north-east of Oodnadatta; [and] Stuart Town, [Alice Springs] Central Australia.' Campbell, TD and Hackett, CJ. 'Adelaide University Field Anthropology: Central Australia.' No. 1. Introduction, descriptive and anthropometric observations.' Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 51 (1927), 65-75.
The cinematographer was FA Jeffery (AA 155). In 1979 the South Australian Museum Archive (SAMA) deposited its nitrate film collection with the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) for cold storage. The history of the SAMA nitrate film deposit at NFSA in 1979 has been documented in the Series Report (AA 346/9). The original nitrate film is managed as 'NFSA Title No. 33492.'
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 in some circumstances.
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 'C.' All individuals recorded during the expedition were assigned an individual subject number, for example [C2]. Where possible the 'individual subject number' of those who appear in film have been noted.
The time coded summary is in minutes and seconds. Following the summary of this film is a list of references. Formats Held: SP Betacam, Digital Betacam, Access DVDs.
Summary (Time Coded): Taken from Access DVD 3 (AA 346/9/2/6/5)
00:00 Start of Macumba, SA, & Alice Springs, NT, 1926-1927, Copy of 'NFSA Title No.33492'
00:00 'Cultural Sensitivity Warning.'
00:00 'The Museum Board of South Australia © 1926-1927.'
01:30 Start of film relating to the BAR expedition to Koonibba, South Australia. 1928. This same footage is found in (AA 346/9/28/3) except digitised in reverse.
01:30 Bilili [D1] of the Wirrangu people straightens a spear on a raised platform of earth using ash from a nearby fire to assist the process. Koonibba, South Australia. 1928.
01:33 End of film relating to the BAR expedition to Koonibba, South Australia. 1928.
01:34 'Scraping down a spear shaft by means of a stone scraper mounted on the handle of a wommera.'
01:45 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people scrapes down a spearshaft by means of a stone scraper mounted on the handle of a wommera.
02:08 'Spear throwing with a wommera.'
02:15 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people demonstrates how to throw a spear with a spear thrower.
02:31 'How the native throws a boomerang.'
02:05 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people demonstrates how to throw a boomerang.
02:56 Start of film relating to the BAR expedition to MacDonald Downs, Northern Territory. 1930. This same footage is found in (AA 346/9/4)
02:56 Women grinding seed and cooking bread, MacDonald Downs, Northern Territory. 1930.
01:33 End of film relating to the BAR expedition to MacDonald Downs, Northern Territory. 1930.
04:10 'Fire making by the sawing method.'
04:15 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people walks past the camera carrying a piece of wood.
04:20 'A suitable piece of wood is selected and struck on a tree until split along portion of its length.'
04:35 The selected piece of wood is split by striking it against a tree. A second man holding a spear thrower joins the Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people.
05:02 'A chip is inserted into the split, into which dry grass is packed to hold the powdered wood tinder formed by rubbing the surface together.'
05:19 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people packs dried grass into the split piece of wood.
05:59 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people scraping down a spear shaft by means of a stone scraper mounted on the handle of a wommera. See also 01:45 - 02:27.
06:04 'Making a break to prevent undue drafts'
06:09 Macumba Jack [C2] of the Kaitish [see Kaititja] people and the second man construct a wind break, then sit down and commence fire making by the sawing method.
06:33 'Two men use the edge of a spear thrower in a sawing manner across the split of the stationary piece of wood the later is placed on dry grass.'
06:55 They use the spear thrower in a sawing motion against the of the piece of wood.
07:23 'The heat generated by friction ignites the tinder. The minute speck of smoldering material is watched until it can be blown so as to ignite the dry grass.'
07:47 The tinder is tended into a fire.
09:07 'In traveling short distances the native carries a firestick from one fire to another otherwise he has several methods of fire making.'
09:31 'Making fire by the rotary method.'
09:38 An Australian Aboriginal man walks towards the camera carrying several pieces of wood.
09:49 'Two sticks are selected one of hard and the other of much softer wood.'
10:03 An Australian Aboriginal man shows the camera the selected hard and soft wood sticks.
10:06 'By means of a stone knife, a shallow depression is made in the softer wood from the depression a grove conveys the powdered wood tinder formed by the rubbing.'
10:31 The stone knife is used to make a shallow depression in the soft wood, which he then demonstrate is the groove into which the hard wood stick is placed.
11:05 'In making fire the lower stick is placed on some dry grass the rounded end on the other stick is placed in the depression and quickly rotated.'
11:27 An Australian Aboriginal man begins the process of fire making by rotary method.
12:43 'The friction forms finely powered wood tinder which becomes ignited after smouldering a while. A few careful puffs of breath complete the operation.'
13:03 The tinder is tended into a fire.
14:12 End of footage.
Tribal / language groups recorded during this expedition as recorded in the Data Cards (AA 346/4/8)
Tindale Tribes: Aranda; Kaititja; Arabana; Kukatja (NT); Walpiri; Wongkanguru.
AIATSIS Tribal / Language Groups: Arrernte; Kaytej; Luritja; Arabana; Warlpiri.