In High Ground, Gutjuk has many teachers, but must ultimately learn for himself. Discuss. Intro: High Ground, directed by Stephen Johnson is a film set in the 1930s Northern Territory, that depicts the brutality of the British colonialists and how the dispossession of the First Nations people from their land occurred after the frontier conflicts. It follows the perspective of an indigenous young man named Gutjuk and a non-indigenous ex-soldier named Travis, exploring how they navigate post-colonization Australia both collectively and individually. In High Ground, Johnson suggests that although Gutjuk had many role models in his life, he could not openly express his values, skills, and cultural identity and as a result, had to relearn how to …show more content…
This can be disproved as he was taken to the East Alligator River Mission during his childhood where his indigenous identity …show more content…
This is because he was unable to distinguish where he belonged as he valued both his mob and the relationships he established at the camp, and felt that he was viewing the conflict from both perspectives. Gutjuk was taught many things by different role models but ultimately he had to figure out how to navigate through struggles by himself, such as picking a side in the wild mob conflict. His grandfather and uncle Baywarra teach him to hunt and protect himself while Travis teaches Gutjuk how to take the ‘High Ground’. Both teach Gutjuk how to take control of a situation but in different ways. This displays how Gutjuk learns to defend himself depending on what he is taught by different role models in his life. Being taught how to use a spear and protect oneself compared to taking the high ground, like how Travis watched the massacre through the spectacle of the rifle, displays how Gutjuk learnt both sides to the story, one through an indigenous Australians and the other through a colonialist perspective. Gutjuk grew up in both environments, His family Mob, and the East Alligator River Mission where he began to favour different aspects of both environments as he learnt different skills and created meaningful relationships with people such as his caretaker Claire