Indigenous Youth In Yolngu Boy Directed By Stephen Johnson

Despite living in a time of formal equality, Indigenous Australian youth still face many challenges growing up in contemporary Australian society. The marginalisation effects of poverty influenced lifestyles, in conjunction with the stereotypical opinions the dominant white Australian society obtain, influence one’s self worth and esteem, and consequently, their ability to thrive in this modern society. The 2001 motion picture, ‘Yolngu Boy’ directed by Stephen Johnson, clearly demonstrates how Australia’s Indigenous youth are influenced – both negatively and positively – by two opposing forces: the historic Aboriginal traditions, and the modern western culture. However, the film additionally replicates the interdependence between the two conflicting

Traditionally, Indigenous men were taught to hunt animals for their consumption, this required an athleticism and a build alternative ethnicities lack. As these physical traits are inherited as each generation reproduces, the modern descendants must discover an alternative way to utilise their abilities, as the need to hunt has been extinguished amongst society. The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional sporting competition that Australia hosts, which requires a form of strength and speed that the Aboriginal males are often naturally gifted with. At current – due to it’s colossal fan base – the AFL campaign produces the largest income, opposed to any other sporting competition in Australia. With seventy-four of it’s athletes being of Indigenous heritage, in addition the formulation of the infamous ‘Indigenous Round’, which can be deemed responsible for the creation of an extended fan base, the Aboriginal culture contributes largely to the success of this industry (AFL, 2016). This relationship displays an interdependence unique to the Aboriginal and Western cultures, as the success of both ethnicities are reliant upon one another. The motion picture, ‘Yolngu Boy’, exhibits this correlation through the character of Milika. Milika, a young Indigenous boy, struggles to form his identity within the traditional customs, as he wishes to utilise his athletic abilities to pursue a career in the Australian Football League. This sporting competition provides Milika with opportunities outside of the remote community he hales from, while his athleticism contributes immensely to the quality of sport the modern Australian society thrives off