Hi,

A documentary about Australian Aborigines aired recently--in August of 2009--on either the Nat Geo or History International. It concerned a white man, a Brit or Aussie, accompanying an Aboriginal father and other tribe members as they pass down their traditions and culture down to the young. There were scenes of dances and rituals, including one to lure fish from a pond. There was also a scene about a traditional kangeroo hunt involving the lighting of fires to trap the prey. The Brit was given the privilege to walk the sacred Aboriginal trails, too, as the father told him of their myths and attempted to explain the Dreamtime.

Later on, the Brit traveled via helicopter to a remote site with some rock art. There he met an elderly Aboriginal woman who told him the story of the art.

I've been looking for this on DVD to show to my class, but can't remember the title! Can anyone help me?

There is a movie called Ten Canoes. It's all about the Aboriginies in Australia and tells some of their wonderful stories handed down for generations. This movie is from 2006 and stars many famous native Aboriginies.

Ten Canoes (2006)

I hope this is the movie you wanted. It is quite authentic in it's portrails of their life.

Thanks, but that's not it. It's a documentary, begins with the Aboriginal father showing the Brit or Aussie his father's grave. The father then expresses a lot of concern that his clan's traditions and culture are being lost, but he hopes to pass down what he can to his son. The Brit then accompanies the tribe out into the bush for the rites and activities I described above.

I'm pretty sure "Dreaming" or "Dreamtime" was in the title. I've Google and Googled and Yahooed and Googled again, but no luck.

I'm a librarian. Is this it (from WorldCat) --

Australia's aborigines remember dreamtime.

M J Liddle; Angela Ruska; Lorna Wilson; Ivo Burum; Tony Dowmunt; Shane Mulcahy; Cynthia Chew; Tania Paternostro; Kevin Collier; Fionna Douglas; Nicolas Lee
2006
English Visual Material Visual Material : Videorecording : DVD video DVD video 3 videodiscs (155 min.) : sd. col. With b&w sequences ; 4 3/4 in.
Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities & Sciences,

Their ancestors having nearly erased Aboriginal culture (and the Aboriginal population as well), contemporary Australians have awakened to the treasure at the outer reaches of their Westernized midst -- at the most venal level, a sure-fire tourist attraction, and at best, a window into the past. This series shows native Australians as they live today, remembers the coming of the white man, and harks back to the stories of long ago...

Title: Australia's aborigines remember dreamtime.
Author(s): Liddle, M. J. ; (Narrator)
Ruska, Angela. ; (Narrator)
Wilson, Lorna. ; (Host)
Burum, Ivo. ; (Director); (Producer)
Dowmunt, Tony. ; (Producer)
Mulcahy, Shane. ; (Director)
Chew, Cynthia. ; (Director)
Paternostro, Tania. ; (Film editor)
Collier, Kevin. ; (Film editor)
Douglas, Fionna. ; (Author of screenplay)
Lee, Nicolas. ; (Film editor)
Corp Author(s): Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association. ; Channel Four (Great Britain) ; APT Film and Television. ; Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)
Publication: Princeton, NJ : Films for the Humanities & Sciences,
Year: 2006
Description: 3 videodiscs (155 min.) : sd. col. With b&w sequences ; 4 3/4 in.
Language: English; Interviews are conducted in Aboriginal languages but are translated or contain subtitles in English.
Standard No: Publisher: FFH4373; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; FFH4374; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; FFH4375; Films for the Humanities & Sciences

Abstract: Their ancestors having nearly erased Aboriginal culture (and the Aboriginal population as well), contemporary Australians have awakened to the treasure at the outer reaches of their Westernized midst -- at the most venal level, a sure-fire tourist attraction, and at best, a window into the past. This series shows native Australians as they live today, remembers the coming of the white man, and harks back to the stories of long ago. Benny and the dreamers: An elderly traditional Aboriginal and his family members recall the impact of their tribe's first contact with white people in the 1930s. This program traces the reactions of a people whose culture had survived for 40,000 years only to be changed by early white settlers. Satellite dreaming: This program moves between the polish of the contemporary urban show and the raw energy of a desert "inma" to show how Aboriginal people use television to promote and preserve their culture. Stories of the dreamtime: This program is about the stories and culture of the Aboriginal people in Australia.

Contents: Benny and the dreamers / writer, Fionna Douglas ; producer/director, Ivo Burum ; CAAMA Productions & Australian Film Finance Corporation Pty. (1992; 54 min.) -- Satellite dreaming / director, Ivo Burum ; producers, Ivo Burum & Tony Dowmunt ; in association with Channel Four and APT Film and Television; a CAAMA Production (1991; 52 min.) -- Nganampa Anuernekenhe: Stories of the dreamtime / directors, Shane Mulcahy, Cynthia Chew ; producer, Shane Mulcahy ; CAAMA Productions (1993; 49 min.)

SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor: Aboriginal Australians -- Ethnic identity.
Aboriginal Australians -- Social life and customs.
Aboriginal Australians and mass media.
Ethnic mass media -- Australia.
Mythology, Aboriginal Australian.
First contact of aboriginal peoples with Westerners.
Genre/Form: Documentary films.
Documentary television programs.
Nonfiction films.
Nonfiction television programs.
Feature films.
Feature films -- Australia.
Television programs -- Australia.
Geographic: Australia -- History -- 20th century.

System Info: DVD-R, NTSC.
Note(s): Originally produced by CAAMA as two individual documentaries (1991-1992), and a 1993 episode of the series Nganampa Anuernekenhe./ 4373 (Benny); 4374 (Satellite); 4375 (Stories of the dreamtime)
Class Descriptors: LC: DU120
Other Titles: Australia's aborigines remember, dreamtime.; Dreamtime; Satellite dreaming.; Benny and the dreamers.; Nganampa Anuernekenhe.; Stories of the dreamtime.
Responsibility: Benny and the dreamers: camera, Zbigniew Friedrich, John Whitteron; music, Bill Davis; narrator, Michael Liddle ; editor, Nicolas Lee. Satellite dreaming: camera, Warwick Thornton; music, Bill Davis, Stanley Satour;editor, Nicolas Lee; narrator, Angela Ruska. Stories of the dreamtime: presenter: Lorna Wilson; editors, Tania Paternostro, Kevin Collier.
Material Type: Videorecording (vid); DVD video (dvv); NTSC color broadcast system (nts); Videodisc (vdc)
Document Type: Visual Material
Entry: 20060301
Update: 20090717
Accession No: OCLC: 64399093
Database: WorldCat
© 1992-2009 OCLC

Only four libraries own that title --

US,IL -- LOYOLA UNIV OF CHICAGO
US,CA -- DIABLO VAL COL LIBR
US,TX -- UNIV OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO
US,WA -- UNIV OF WASHINGTON LIBR

I'll tell you how to get one of them, if this is the right title.

I'm certain it's not "Benny and the Dreamers."

The documentary in question sounds like "Australia's aborigines remember dreamtime," but the latter is far too long (155 mins) and contains a female narrator. Furthermore, the interviews were in English, except for the one with the elder Aboriginal woman who spoke about the rock art. Thus, I'm almost certain that isn't the one, nor is "Satellite Dreaming."