The discovery of Aboriginal statues in the archives of the Australian Museum prompts a quest to reclaim dignity.
A trio of nameless statues buried in the archives of the Australian Museum triggers a great-granddaughter’s quest to honour her ancestors and reclaim their life stories. In 1925, Australia’s Census declared Aboriginal people a “dying race”.
The Australian Museum commissioned three statues of Aboriginal people: a child, a man and a woman, exhibited as nameless objects to be studied. The woman was Nellie Bunjil, Irene Ridgeway’s great-grandmother. Irene embarks on a journey to retrace Nanny Nellie’s life and redisplay the statues, this time with her name, identity and dignity.
Her Name is Nanny Nellie is a documentary film by Daniel King.