Documentary · Australia · 2018 · 1h 13m

Etched in Bone

Director

Martin Thomas Béatrice Bijon

Cast

Jacob Nayinggul as Himself Joe Gumbula as Himself Martin Thomas as Narrator

Crew

James Lane — Editor Martin Thomas — Writer Martin Thomas — Producer Béatrice Bijon — Producer

Tagline

"This is an exceptional piece of filmmaking, governed by qualities of restraint and attunement that are essential to its subject." - Jane Goodall.

Synopsis

Drawing on original footage from National Geographic, Etched in Bone explores the impact of one notorious bone theft by a member of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. Hundred of bones were stolen and deposited in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, until it became known to Arnhem elders in the late 1990s. The return of the sacred artefacts was called for, resulting in a tense standoff between indigenous tribespeople and the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian.

Trailer