Wayfinders Circle Ngarridurndeng Kured
Ngarridurndeng Kured (We Going Home Now)
2024 | Documentary Short | 18 MIN.
Directed by Emma Masters and Dean Munuggullumurr Yibarbuk
Ngarridurndeng Kured (We Going Home Now) follows Dean Yibarbuk, his family and and the Indigenous fire rangers he leads into the heart of Kuwarddewardde – the rock country - to help protect their country from devastating wildfires and reestablish their communities and support their families’ and way of life. Here ancient rhythms and traditional practices combine with western science to create a unique relationship that guards against devastating wildfires and supports the return of Bininj Nawarddeken to their traditional homelands and ways of living in the bush.
Kuwarddewardde – the rock country – is home to the Bininj Nawarddeken, people who have always inhabited a remote corner of what is known today as Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. For millennia, they looked after the rock country, taking care of it for their ancestors and their children. Fire was one of their main tools and Bininj Nawarddeken actively burned areas of the savanna grasslands woodlands and rainforests to protect them from large, devastating wildfires. Butin the late 18th century, British colonialization disrupted the Bininj Nawarddeken’s connection to the land and their traditional use of fire. The result was the spread of massive wildfires that decimated pristine ecosystems. Dean Yibarbuk, Warddeken Land Management’s a First Nation’s owned non-profit and knowledge keeper of Bininj Nawarddeken, lays it plain “Without people, those wildfires took place. It’s a lonely country waiting for people to return.”
Directors’ Statement
I have worked with Bulanj Dean Yibarbuk in different ways over many years, so when he reached out and asked me to join him to work on his film, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes! The modern and ancient stories of Nawarddeken people and Kuwarddewardde have captured my heart and mind for many years, so to return to country and work with everyone to help them bring their story, culture and language to the screen is both an honour and a privilege. (Emma Masters)
Emma Masters
Emma is a storyteller – a filmmaker and journalist - with more than 25 years experience in Australia and overseas. Her dedication and commitment to storytelling is evident in the body of work she has created as a director, producer and writer in the screen industry and a journalist, producer and presenter across television, radio, podcast and print media in Australia and overseas. A multiskilled creator who directs and produces as well as shoots and edits, Emma’s independent production company Weave Films has been behind documentaries, short films and digital content. She also collaborates with others on their screen projects – from documentary and drama to digital content. She has recently returned to ABC News in Australia as a senior producer and journalist.
Dean Yibarbuk
Dean is a traditional owner of Djinkarr, near Maningrida, where he began his career as an Aboriginal liaison officer for the Northern Territory government and Maningrida Community School. Dean is multilingual, speaking Gurrgoni, Kunwinjku, Yolngu Matha and English, among other Indigenous languages. In the 1980s, Dean studied natural and cultural resource management at Adelaide University and Bachelor College, and since then has taken a prominent leadership role in Indigenous land conservation in Australia and overseas. Dean was a driving force behind the development of one of Australia’s oldest ranger groups, the Djelk Rangers (now Bawinanga Rangers), and in the establishment of Warddeken Land Management. He is currently chairperson of Warddeken, co-chair of the Karrkad-Kanjdji Trust, and has sat on too many boards and committees over the years to list. For much of his adult life, Dean has been a powerful advocate for the positive impacts of customary burning, and continues to travel the globe to inspire and inform others.
Dean Yibarbuk
Dean is a traditional owner of Djinkarr, near Maningrida, where he began his career as an Aboriginal liaison officer for the Northern Territory government and Maningrida Community School. Dean is multilingual, speaking Gurrgoni, Kunwinjku, Yolngu Matha and English, among other Indigenous languages. In the 1980s, Dean studied natural and cultural resource management at Adelaide University and Bachelor College, and since then has taken a prominent leadership role in Indigenous land conservation in Australia and overseas. Dean was a driving force behind the development of one of Australia’s oldest ranger groups, the Djelk Rangers (now Bawinanga Rangers), and in the establishment of Warddeken Land Management. He is currently chairperson of Warddeken, co-chair of the Karrkad-Kanjdji Trust, and has sat on too many boards and committees over the years to list. For much of his adult life, Dean has been a powerful advocate for the positive impacts of customary burning, and continues to travel the globe to inspire and inform others.
Lois Nadjamerrek
Reverend Lois Nadjamerrek is a senior traditional owner of the Mok clan estate, which includes Kabulwarnamyo, and minister at the Emmanuel Anglican Church in Gunbalanya. She is a pillar of the Gunbalanya community, and is often the first port of call for those experiencing difficulties. Lois is passionate about providing a safe and strong community for families at Kabulwarnamyo. She has extensive finance and governance experience, and for decades worked tirelessly as a director of Warddeken, Nawarddeken Academy, Karrkad-Kanjdji Trust and Adjumarllarl Aboriginal Corporation. Lois is also a skilled linguist, working as part of the team that translated the New Testament into Kunwinjku. Lois also works alongside Dr Murray Garde and other linguists as part of the Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre.
Terrah Guymala
Terrah Guymala is a senior Bordoh clan member and traditional owner of the Ngorlkwarre estate within the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. Terrah has been a driving force behind Warddeken’s Manmoyi rangers, starting as ranger in 2007, becoming a senior ranger in 2015 and is now the manager of cultural projects, based at Manmoyi outstation. Terrah is a director of Warddeken and Nawarddeken, and also sits on the board of Karrkad-Kanjdji Trust, Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (ALFA) NT Limited and the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network (ICIN). In 2023, Terrah was recognised for his outstanding commitment to land management, winning the NT Ranger of the Year award. In addition to all of this,Terrah is an extremely talented musician, with an impressive career spent performing solo and with the rock band Nabarlek.
American Museum of Natural History / Margareth Mead Film Festival (World Premiere)
Date: September 23rd 2024
Location: New York
Here you can download the press notes, containing comprehensive information and insights into the making of the film, the people involved, images, contact and other information for press.
The Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area is part of the larger Arnhem Land, a vast Indigenous territory over twice the size of Switzerland in northern Australia, and home to Indigenous cultures dating back over 65,000 years. Arnhem Land is one of the largest Aboriginal reserves in Australia and is perhaps best known for its isolation, the art of its people, and the strong continuing traditions of its Indigenous inhabitants. Cultural beliefs have minor variations from clan to clan although it is understood that the land and the people were created by spiritual ancestors. They made the rivers, the water holes, the hills, the rocks and all living things. They gave each clan their land, their totems, their laws to live by and their dreaming.
The Nawarddeken, who are the traditional owners of Warddeken, make up 36 clan groups of the Bininj Kunwok language group. Their ownership of the land is recognized under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. Together they created the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area in 2009, including 1,394,951 hectares of spectacular stone and gorge on the West Arnhem Plateau/Land, Northern Territory (NT), immediately east of Kakadu National Park. The plateau is significant for numerous threatened species and is of great cultural significance as thousands of rock art sites tell stories and record the way Indigenous Peoples lived tens of thousands of years ago, some documenting first contact with Europeans; some of the richest density of rock art galleries in the world.
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