"Waiting for Harry"

This week’s film, Waiting for Harry, was about the Anbarra people at the Djunawunya clan estate in Arnhem Land. The late Les Hiatt, a noted anthropologist in Australian Aboriginal studies, helped produce and translate the film. He had become a ‘brother’ to Frank and his clan and strived to understand their culture. At the request of Frank and with the help of Les, the film revealed the mourning process and rituals of this aboriginal tribe. Most of their rituals are usually performed at night time, but for the purposes of filming were performed during the day. Although the film is a little dated, it’s an interesting look at the effort spent on their burial traditions. What they didn’t explain is the first part of the funeral where they lay out the body for months or so to let the flesh rot away, leaving the bones to be painted with red ochre. To them the red ochre marks the blood of the ancestors, which is used in their paint as well. Later in the ceremony the bones are placed into a painted hollow log. Even the actual decoration of the hollowed log is ceremonial-like. The clan sings songs in relation to the symbolic paintings of his clan and ancestral beings. Harry oversees the quality of the work making sure everything is done well for the sake of the deceased man and for the visitors of other villages. The ceremony continues over weeks while the people wait for Harry to return. The climax of the ritual takes place towards the end when the decorated log is placed upright and the people (men and the widow) mask their bodies in white paint, dancing and singing. The funeral ceremony of the aboriginals is very much about them making sense of their surroundings as well as ‘making special’. They make the deceased persons log coffin ‘special’ with the symbolic paintings so that it resembles his clan, specific to his ancestors. Their beliefs and legends of ‘ancestors of the Dreamtime’ all play a part in making sense of their world. Most aboriginals believe in reincarnation, so having an appropriate funeral and having enough men to dance away the spirit is important. The spirit must go back to its origin (commonly believe to be a waterhole) so that it can be born again. I found it interesting that females, with the exception of the widow, did not play a role in the final ceremony. Even she was outside of the group. I also realized that we do not hear of the ‘dead man’s name, but I do remember reading somewhere that using the name after one’s death is forbidden in some tribes.