Melissa Lucashenko

So, you know, like probably fishermen all over the world, he's always thinking about fish and being on the water.

Yeah, well, this is about aspirations of young men to be respected and recognised.

So he does hook a giant mulloway.

He's very skilful.

You know, he's 15.

Mullet runs old at this point.

and he hooks this mulloway he's he puts a lot of effort and endurance and patience into hooking this mulloway and he very proudly takes it back to camp and thinks he's going to be a big hero and his fathers in particular his uh his big father and his small father go not not not happening take it back quick and they run back down to the ocean with this fish and they make him put the fish back in because of her significance and that's his first lesson in

or the first lesson that we see him experiencing in putting his ego aside and sustaining life, which is an important part of his journey towards adulthood.

Yeah, and that's a cultural behaviour that's very strong still.

So much of Aboriginal culture and law persists and one of them is the fact that you don't ask for information.

You use your eyes and ears and brain and you work it out yourself and it's seen as lazy and inappropriate and rude to just ask to be told things and given things on a plate.

It's like you've got a brain, you use it, and you've got eyes and ears.

You sit back and you observe and you work it out yourself.

Oh, I'm used to making allowances for white Australians.

It's okay.

Yeah, you know, it's all over the country.

Traditionally, people would leave not just heavy things like grinding stones, but smaller, more portable implements like nets and axes and all kinds of everyday objects would leave them there.

you know, where they belonged near to their homes and go off and would very confidently expect that they'd be there when they got back a week or a month later because stealing is anathema in classical Aboriginal culture.

You know, it's one of the main commandments of Aboriginal law is to not steal.

You know, don't be greedy with what you do have and certainly don't go around stealing what doesn't belong to you.