Chris Hemsworth And Nat Geo Under Fire For Filming At a Scared Location Without Permission
First Nations organizations disagree about a television program in which Chris Hemsworth, a Hollywood action movie star, attends a ritual after hiking across northern New South Wales, New England National Park. Images from the widely acclaimed National Geographic tv show Limitless show Hemsworth participating in an ethnic ceremony at Wrights Lookout, an important location situated on a sacred mountain ridge renowned as Serpentine, or Boorongutta’s sleeping place.
Wrights Lookout is a significant site located in the area. Wrights Lookout has been accessible to the general public for several years, just like many other important First Nations historic landmarks in the area. Some Native American tribes embraced the shooting as a historical gathering of three tribes—the Thunggutti and Gumbaynggirr on the Mid-North Coast and the Anaiwan from what is now New England—on their shared territory. An elder Anaiwan from Armidale, Les Ahoy, called it “wonderful.”
However, it had also sparked discontent in the neighborhood, especially with Thunggutti clan leaders in Bellbrook, who feel that they ought to have been informed before the shooting took place on their ancestral lands. They claim that the filming location is in native Thunggutti territory, and their settlement is one of the nearest to it. It is located in the plains 50 kilometers west of Kempsey.
According to Thunggutti elder Uncle David Toby, “there was no consultation.” The Bellbrook native remarked, “This is a tribe. “It’s unfair when you get one individual to say ‘Yes’ to it.” It was extremely disrespectful to the culture of the native people in this country, according to Aunty Ruth Dunn, a Thunggutti elder from Bellbrook.
Hemsworth’s agency declined to respond and sent inquiries to the film studio, saying the actor was not accessible. An Indigenous cultural advisor was used by the production, which collaborated closely with the three nations, including Thunggutti elders and performers in the ritual, and had Bellbrook Group slated to come but did not show up, according to Ruth Shurman, an executive producer at Nutopia.
The film crew has prioritized respect for First Nations heritage at every step, according to Shurman. According to a representative for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Thunggutti Regional Aboriginal Land authority, Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corp in Coffs Harbour, and Coffs Harbour Regional Aboriginal Land Committee all sent a written endorsement for the film crew, which included the use of Wrights Lookout as a spot. The Coffs Harbour Land Council and Bularri refused to respond.
Hemsworth or any other person or organization associated with the project is not accused of misconduct by The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age. The Netflix series Limitless, which is about living a long life, is accessible on Disney+. Hemsworth and his Gumbaynggirr-Bundjalung companion Otis Hope Carey are seen hiking through the woods for two days in the fifth episode. They are seen moving through thick eucalyptus woodland and riverside rainforest that are broken up by stunning stone rocky cliffs, streams, and waterways while purportedly lacking contemporary navigational tools.
A visit to Country ritual and a celebration with Aboriginal performers mark the beginning and conclusion of the trek, respectively. The National Park Service, Nutopia, and Ahoy have all denied reports that Serpentine was being used for filmmaking. Serpentine, according to Ahoy, was some distance from the shooting area.
Wrights Lookout is designated as a holy men’s place on the national parks website. Ahoy claimed that an agreement between the three tribes, incorporating initiated elders with in-depth cultural understanding, resulted in the resolution to utilize the place and permit a mixed-gender filming team access to the location. According to Ahoy, “We have a right to practice the tradition on our territory, and we do so in inclusive practice and awareness.”
The dispute has developed partly due to the colonial destruction of cultural history, even if the show was about memory. Although it is debated, the tv show described the area as “a shared land amongst the three major ethnic groups.” Although all three countries have historically used it, the Thunggutti tribe believes it to be their native country, with agreements in place allowing the other two tribes to enter it for use. Ahoy claimed it to be Anaiwan territory. Following its first phase of displacement, the Mid-North Coast was intensively colonized and plagued by western violence.
Aboriginal people were forcibly taken from the traditional grounds of their tribes and put into missionaries and areas controlled by the government and churches. State restrictions on ancient practices and the speaking of native languages were imposed, and people from many tribes and clans were purposefully mingled together. Without a state agent’s authorization, inhabitants were unable to leave the missions.
Such a mission once existed in the Bellbrook Aboriginal community. The other concern, which often occurs in other sectors, such as mining and education, is who has the right to speak for the society. The discussion of Indigenous Representation in Congress is centered on the concept of inclusion. Lenny Wright, the head of the Thunggutti Land Authority, who lived in Melbourne and gave the chief executive the task of writing the note of support, claimed that although the shooting was addressed at a council meeting, Wrights Lookout wasn’t disclosed as the site until after.
Wright should have understood to address the filmmaking permission with the larger community, according to Thunggutti resident Kenneth Major. Without the population, Major asserted, “cultural duty does not flow through the land council.” Gus Holten, a Thunggutti man and resident of Bellbrook addressed the film studio Nutopia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to convey his community’s distress regarding the lack of disclosure and engagement. These emails were viewed by this publication.
Both the producer and the national park administration told Holten that they received permission for the filming from elders outside the Bellbrook group. According to Holten, there is a persistent problem with “self-appointed” elders who assert their right to speak for indigenous people.
With “a number of dancing groups with individuals who weren’t introduced to the necessary stage to access such a place,” according to Holten, the recorded scene was a scripted ceremony. Holten claimed to be informed of prominent Gumbaynggirr lore-keepers who should have been informed and consulted before the filming at the location. Holten claimed that due to the absence of ethnic observation, no performers from his group attended.
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