Whaledreamers talks about the Mirning Tribe of Australia, who like many other water tribes share an ancestral connection to the whales. They have a sacred ceremony to call the whales and in an effort to share their culture, they invite elders from around the world to come to Australia to greet the whales. The kupuna and kokua come from Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Ao Tearoa, to share in this experience. Their differences become their similarities as they share their own struggles with being aborigines in a world that continues to crowd out native cultures to benefit global demand.
One poignant example is when the Mirning tribe must actually ask permission to do their ceremony on their ancestral lands because the lands are now run by a private corporation and there are walking paths and barriers that keep the people away while charging them for a space on the lookout. As the elders start calling, there are whales that come, and the landowners force the elders and their guests to leave.
This film just brings back the struggles that we’re wrestling with right now in Hawaii. The ceded lands bill is still in the courts. In order to take our students to the ancient makahiki grounds on Molokai, we must ask permission from Molokai Ranch and we are escorted by them the whole time and given a specific time frame and regulations on what we can and cannot see. Despite the closure of Molokai Ranch, the caretakers of Naiwa are still not in control of these ancient sites and heiau.
Although there is much to lose, this film ends in a small hope and the reminder that “we are what we’ve been waiting for.”
Now showing at Netflix instant watch.
