Twelve Canoes

12canoes.com.au is a website which paints a compelling portrait of the art, culture, history and place of the Yolngu people whose homeland is the town of Ramingining and the Arafura Swamp of north-central Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

The website has been created and developed by filmmaker Rolf de Heer and Molly Reynolds in conjunction with a consultative committee from the Ramingining Community including Peter Minygululu, Richard Birrinbirrin (associate producer on Ten Canoes), Philip Gudthaykudthay, Peter Djigirr (co-director of Ten Canoes) and Bobby Bunungurr, all community elders and artists in their own right.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is honoured to have been invited by the 12 Canoes creative team to play a role in the sharing of the website with the world as the access and hosting partner in the project.

We are doing this as part of our commitment to support creative propositions using new technologies and to work in collaboration with Indigenous communities to support their cultural self-determination. Just as cinema technologies of the late 19th century were cutting-edge and evolved to provide increasing creative possibilities, so to are the early 21st century technologies of the world wide web.

Twelve Canoes - Image 1 Twelve Canoes - Image 2 Twelve Canoes - Image 3
  • Further information about NFSA's Indigenous programs and activities is available by contacting Liz McNiven, NFSA Indigenous Curator.
  • NFSA's Black Screen program provides Indigenous communities and the broader Australian public with access to Indigenous films.
  • The NFSA is also hosting a small exhibition of stunning 12 Canoes photographs by photographer C J Taylor at its Canberra Headquarters from 8 September. More Information