Aboriginal Elder in Norway

My brother in mission, Eivind Figenschau Skjellum in Norway, runs a great site called Masculinity Movies. I like his tag line: Where boys study films to become men. I have profiled him and his site previously in this blog and really recommend a visit. But that is not what this post is about.

Aboriginal Rites of Passage

Eivind recently had a chance to interview Australian elder, Bob Randall. Mr. Randall, affectionately known by many as "Uncle Bob," is a Yankunytjatjara Elder and a traditional owner of Uluru, or Ayer's Rock in Australia. Bob is one of the Stolen Generation of the Aboriginal people, taken from his family at the age of seven. Throughout his life, he has worked as a teacher and leader for Aboriginal land rights, education, community development and cultural awareness. To learn more about Elder Randall, check out his page on the Global Oneness Project site. On that page you can also hear a clip of him singing "Brown Skin Baby (They Took Me Away)," which has become an anthem for the Aboriginal people.

In the video clip below, Eivind is talking with Elder Randall about what Rite of Passage for boys looks like in Aboriginal cultures. What I like so much is the fierceness the initiating Uncles and Elders put into this work. I think you'll find the cultural differences to be quite profound. Listening to this conversation did invite me to take my commitment to man-making more seriously. I'd be interested in your reaction (as a comment to this post).

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If the video isn't visible, you can see it at this link.

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