Comparison Between 'Yolngu Boy And Black Chicks Talking'

Although we are living in a time of formal equality and within a contemporary Australian society, Indigenous Australian youth continue to face many challenges when advancing from youth to adulthood. This essay recognises the continuous influences of western cultures on Indigenous Australian youth; with focus on marginalisation and oppression, stereotyping, as well as the main cultural influences on Indigenous youth and how Indigenous youth and a dominant white Australian culture are both interdependent to one another. These factors have an immense impact on Indigenous Australian youth when shaping their identities. ‘Yolngu Boy’ and ‘Black Chicks Talking’ were viewed to gain an understanding and be used as examples of some of the issues faced

These influences include Indigenous Australian cultures and western cultures. Indigenous Australian culture is clear through the character, Lorrpu who intends to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a traditional indigenous man. Lorrpu gains approval from the most powerful elder, Darwu to be included in a ceremony to become a traditional Indigenous Australian man, just as his pervious ancestors and family members did. Throughout ‘Yolngu Boy’, it is evident Lorrpu believes that their traditional ways and culture is the best to follow as shown when they are running away from their community and he decides that the best way of escaping is by canoe. He also followed the tradition and belief of ‘Baru, he can lead the water and roam the earth like a normal man, spirit of the fire, he is justice and the law, with the power to protect us, and the power to heal our soul’ (Yolngu Boy, 2012). Whilst Lorrpu follows Indigenous Australian culture, of the three main characters, Milika is most involved with western cultures. Milika is not interested in his traditional cultural life, instead preferring the products of a western culture, such as his passion for western football, the foods and the forms of music that western cultures provide. This is evident when he enjoys the use of the Walkman in many scenes throughout the film and the Mars bar when they are canoeing to Darwin. While there are two main cultural influences in ‘Yolngu Boy’, there are also forms of interdependence within the