LibGuides: Year 12: High Ground: Historical Context

High Ground

"While High Ground is a fictionalised story that draws from the conventions of the Western genre, it tells of a 'true history,' " says directory Stephen Johnson. The massacre, for instance, is based on the Gan Gan massacre in which mounted police killed more than 30 Yolgnu people.

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/deep-dive-qa-high-ground-director-stephen-maxwell-johnson

Gan Gan Massacre

Nt Independent - Unfinished Business
Scroll down the article to read about the Gan Gan Massacre 1911
The Monthly
Rom Watangu: An Indigenous leader reflects on a lifetime of following the law of the land. In this article, he refers to the Gan Gan massacre.
University of Newcastle
Colonial Frontier Massacres in Australia , 1788 - 1930

Yolgnu

Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation - Yolgnu Culture
"Everything in the Yolŋu universe – Spirit Beings, plant and animal species, clan groups, areas of land and water are either Dhuwa or Yirritja."
From Dhimurru Visitor Guide
National Museum of Australia
The Yolngu
National Geographic
Photo story - the ancient traditions and ochre-hued homelands of the Yolgnu people.

Other Films

Yolygnu Boy

Ten Canoes