Portfolio Reflections On Heritage Sites, Film Critique, And Threats To Heritage In The Contemporary World

The Portfolio is a collection of reflections on the lectures and self-guided fieldtrips associated with this Unit, set out in the form of an online Biog. To start, each student should estabish their own Slog (I recommend using Wei, which is free and has numerous templates). Take some time to customize your Blog in terms of layout and design features. 

In terms of academic content, your Slog must consist of three (3) parts:

MuseumMontage Site Visit Portfolio In Weeks 7 and 10. you are required to visit two heritage sites in the Sydney area. In Week 7. you will visit the Australian Museum or the Blue Mountains National Park (Echo Point). where you are asked to focus upon representations of Indigenous Australians; in Week 10, you will visit the Sydney Jewish Museum. For Parl 1 of the F-Portfolio you are asked to document and report on one of the visits you have made. Write a brief description of the exhibition/interpretation, then document one object or one interpretation panel from that heritage site and discuss it in relation to key themes emerging from the Unit (i.e. dariddissonant heritage, Indigenous Australians and heritage issues, identity, commemoration, power and control). Supplement your Slog entry with images of the object and/or museum and/or interpretation panel using your own photographs. 

Film Critique In Weeks 5 and 12 you will watch two heritage-related films in class. This part of the assessment asks you to analyse one of these films. You will be expected to decode and theorize the heritage issues captured by the film. 

Media Watch: Threats to Heritage In the Contemporary World Pick a newspaper article published within the last ten years that details a case where heritage has been put under threat by war, political controversy, genocide, climate change or natural disaster. Provide an analysis of the article, including a brief summary as well as a discussion of the event/threat and its relation to Issues in contemporary heritage. You should explain how concepts you have learned in this Unit add insight to the topic of the article. You should also use what you have learned to predict the possible consequences or implications of the content of the article. You may access articles online or in hardcopy, but they should be from newspaper sources.

Part 1: MuseumMontage Site Visit Portfolio

The blue mountain situated in the west Sydney with a rich view of dipping valleys and carpeted hills. This place is filed with untouched bush land, impressive canyons and sandstone cliffs which offers to experience permeating history and century old culture.

In history, Aboriginal populates the area, especially the Darug and Gundungurra tribes. Even though, some Aboriginal people still living there, it is mainly famous for the number of cultural sites.

In a year, millions of peoples visits Blue Mountain to experience the most spectacular landmark three sisters. It is situated at Echo point katoomba and spread through 2.5 kilometer from the great western highway area (Bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au 2018).

As we can see in the above image, the three unusual rock formation represent three sister according to the Aboriginal legends. Even though, it is not clear why it is called three sisters, different Aboriginal legends gives different explanation. The look of three sisters vary throughout the day as the sunlight reflects magnificent colors.

Figure 1: Three sisters

Source: (Bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au 2018)

The story behind the three sister is astonishing and somehow heart touching. According to the legends, the three sisters named Meehni’, ‘Wimlah’ and Gunnedoo’ were lived in the Jamison valley as a part of katoomba tribe (Garden, Peripherals and Peripherals 2018). Somehow they fall in love with three bothers from neighbouring tribe. The problem was, the land law forbid the sisters from following their desires, marrying outside the tribe.

The brothers from other tribe tried to force and capture the sisters to wed. As the tribe peoples were against it, a major battle ensued between two tribes. In order to protect the sisters from the harm, a witch cast a spell and turn them into stones. She was supposed to reverse the spell after the battle ends. However, the witch was killed in the battle. Hence, unable to reverse the spell.

The sisters are still standing mournfully at 922, 918 and 906 tall and over 3000 feet above sea level, while unable to turn back into human form. Even though many people does not believe the tales, the stunning view and the fresh air create the enhancement.

The name giant stairway suites its name as it is a total of 998 steps from the three sisters lead down to the bottom to the cliff (Visitnsw.com 2018). In order make it safer to walk, steel staircases has been installed right into the cliff face. The whole stairway is covered with fences which provide full protection. This section of the track is wide and very easy going and has a couple of great lookouts.

Part 2: Film Critique

Figure 2: Giant stairway and valley walking tracks

Source: (Bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au 2018)

Prince Henry cliff is one of the astonishing site as offers the opportunity to view maginificant views of Jamison valley and watherfalls. In the summer, gold flower of Christmas bells is visible from then cliff which will surely astonishing and heart touching.

Figure: prince henry cliff

Source: (Visitnsw.com 2018)

Rabbit –proof fence is Australian drama/history film which was directed and produced by the Phillip Noyce in 2002 (IMDb 2018). The film is based on a book written by Doris Pilkington, named follow the rabbit-proof fence. This film shows the struggles of tribes peoples associated with half cast children.  The whole film was a narration of molly’s struggle to get back to her mother from law enforcers. It is a true story focusing on the author’s mother Molly as well as two others named Grace and daisy. Those days, government passed law to capture all the half cast children and give them proper education and familiarize them with modern culture in order to make them civilize. Molly and daisy was half cast and grace was a full cast girl.

Figure 4: Poster of the movie

Source: ((IMDb 2018))

At the first part of the film, we see those girls to track and hunt lizard with their mother. Molly is the oldest among three and most brilliant one too. They were living in small camps near fences in Jigalong mob as they were frequently getting cloths and ration from the outside world. Somehow they were happy until MR.A.O Nevillie, the chief protector of aborigines, order the police to kidnap the three girls to make them more civilize. They were taken to indentured servitude which was 1500 miles from their camp.

The movies unfold the story with powerful footage and background music, which make viewer fell the torment of the old generation. There are few dialogues as the man characters of the movies are kidnap from their family to other side of Australia.  

Molly plan the escape as soon she realises police would not be able to track them in rain. She escaped the camp with Daisy and Gracie on foot towards the rabbit fence. Molly takes the initiative to break out from their and walk to their mother by crossing a long way.

The most interesting relationship was the one between the aboriginal trackers in search of the girls. He could sense the persistence of these girls to get home by making it difficult for him to track them down. Finally, molly and daisy reached home and go to hide in the desert with her mother and grandmother and Nevillie realized, he would not be able to pursue the girls and suspended the lookout.

Part 3: Media Watch: Threats to Heritage in the Contemporary World

It is very entertaining, more like a history lesson, since the directors way of telling is not perfectly in line with more conventional ways of telling stories. Nevertheless I would like to emphasise that there is a big difference between interesting and entertaining.

The government wants to bread out the tribe peoples as they realized that after three or four generation, their successor will be turn into full cast. May half cast children are taken to custody in order to make them civilize. In this movie, the most interesting relationship was the one between the aboriginal trackers in search of the girls. He could sense the persistence of these girls to get home by making it difficult for him to track them down.

Half of world heritage sites threatened by development, says WWF 

This article was written by Fiona Harvey and published on The Guardian:

Figure 5: Greater flamingos in flight over Doñana national park marshe

Source: (Harvey 2018)

WWF charity reported that more than 114 heritages all over the world are at high risk because of the mining and rapid change in nature.

Most of the heritages are maintained by the special protection as these sites have significant importance for nature. These sites are now threated by rapid change of nature due to the industrial development and other factors.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, China’s giant panda sanctuaries in Szechuan and the Grand Canyon in the US are the most astonishing heritages which are supposed to be protected under the United Nation’s designated world heritage status (Harvey 2018). However, WWF survey that, these sites are at risk due to illegal logging, fossil fuel exploration and encroachments from industries.

All over the world, heritages are categories in three different section as natural, cultural and mixed. Cultural heritage so refer to the sites such as scientific, aesthetic, archaeological, anthropological, buildings and sites with historical value and monuments.  Natural heritages are sites with geological and biological formation such as three sisters, outstanding physics including areas with scientific, aesthetic value or conservation and species of animals and plants (Harvey 2018). Mixed heritage refer to sirs which are both cultural and natural.

Many critics’ states that UN is responsible for these scenario as they did not paid much attention to protect such heritages which are entitles as worthy of special conservation. Now, Un is considering the involvement of arm forces such sites which are at crucial state to ensure the proper protection.

There are several benefits for preserving such sites which are home to rear species such as great white sharks, pandas and orang-utans. Some surveys also found that, these sites provides plants, food, water and medicine to near eleven million peoples.

The WWF pinpoints the Belize Barrier Reef case, where mangrove swamps was cleared for constructing buildings along with the coast. This swaps mainly provides the shelter from the erosion and storm (Harvey 2018). These issue can affect more than 190, 000 lives which is half of the state’s population.

Charities are giving pressure on Governments as they want them to ban harmful activities which could threat the heritage sites and the surroundings around all over the world. No public finance should be available for companies operating industries within or affecting world heritage sites, the NGO said.

References

Bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au. 2018. Homepage - Blue Mountains Cultural Centre | Blue Mountains Cultural Centre. [online] Available at: https://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Garden, H., Peripherals, C. and Peripherals, O. 2018. How Brain-computer Interfaces Work. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].

Harvey, F. 2018. Half of world heritage sites threatened by development, says WWF. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/06/half-of-world-heritage-sites-threatened-by-development-says-wwf [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Visitbluemountains.com.au. 2018. Visit Blue Mountains | Blue Mountains Accommodation & Tourism Association | Visit the Blue Mountains. [online] Available at: https://www.visitbluemountains.com.au/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

Visitnsw.com. 2018. Blue Mountains. [online] Available at: https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].