Pitjiri: the snake that will not sink

In 1936 on a remote outpost in the Northern Territory, nine aboriginal elders appeared before Ruth Heathcock, a young white nurse who they believed was a member of their tribe before the Dreaming. What she later experienced in her healing work is the subject of this extraordinary documentary. A multi-award winning production.

Credits

producer/director

Karen Hughes

production company

Trikon Film Corporation

Duration

00:48:35:00

Production places

Australia

Production dates

1985

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

017379

Language

English

Audience classification

G

Subject categories

Aboriginal Australia → Aboriginal Australians - Legends

Aboriginal Australia → Heathcock, Ruth

Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - Awards

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Aboriginal Australians - Legends

Documentary

Documentary → Documentary films - Australia

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Reincarnation

Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Healers

Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Nursing

History → Aboriginal Australians - Legends

People → Heathcock, Ruth

Short films

Short films → Short films - Australia

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Holdings

VHS; Access Print (Section 1)

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/78691--pitjiri-the-snake-that-will-not-sink-a/ |title=Pitjiri: the snake that will not sink |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=24 January 2022 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}

Australia, 1985

Please note