Plot Summary
Because of work commitments and the influence of Christian Missions, traditional mourning ceremonies among the Tiwi people of Melville Island were becoming rare at the time of making this film (1974). The full, elaborate ceremony, called the Pukumani ceremony, lasted several days and involved large numbers of people in ritual roles. It was performed here with full awareness that this may be one of the last times such a ceremony would be staged in the traditional way. The ceremony was prepared by the Mangatopi family of Snake Bay after the death of a 35-year old family member killed by his wife. The dead man’s father, Geoffrey Mangatopi, and his family requested this film to be made as a public record of a disappearing tradition. Unique to the Tiwi people of Melville and Bathurst islands, the Pukumani ceremony was not only performed to safe-guard the passage of the dead person into the spirit world, but to re-affirm kinship relationships and traditional Tiwi culture.
Our Take
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Director & Crew
Curtis Levy
Director
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Where can I watch Mourning For Mangatopi online?
Mourning For Mangatopi (1974) is available to stream on various platforms. You can also watch it online via our Watch Online button.
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It has a TMDB rating of 0.0/10 based on 0 votes.
Who directed Mourning For Mangatopi?
Mourning For Mangatopi was directed by Curtis Levy and released in 1974.
How long is Mourning For Mangatopi?
Mourning For Mangatopi has a runtime of 0 hours and 53 minutes.
Movie Details
- Release Date
- 1974-12-02
- Status
- Released