XXII. Tambaroro. Ethnographic Film (English subtitles) Premiere Screening

Vitalizing oral culture and ritual in a remote Gwatle (Batuley) fishing community in Aru, Indonesia, the ethnographic film, Tambaroro, explores songs and stories as teachings of mindful living. A Gwatle man, Sonny Djonler, returns to the village he left as a child to find inspiration in his culture’s tolerance, environmental management, and cooperation. Set amid the stark beauty of the Arafura Sea shore, the film follows Sonny’s cultural journey into his heritage. Village elders share ancient custom in all-night ritual to launch the sea cucumber harvest and later explain the meanings to Sonny. In the words of a Batuley elder: “Every teaching is put into a song. It reminds us of how to live, because the world is dry”. Old Gwatle language is extinct, but Tambaroro festival songs use the old language to teach Gwatle youth how to live in a modern world.

Produced by A. Ross Gordon and Sonny A. Djonler

Link to website with film trailer: http://researchresultsmedia.ca/