Rosalie Kunoth-Monks and the making of Jedda

The focus of this paper is on the experiences of Kunoth-Monks who as an actress with a leading role in the film Jedda figured in the print media as a star, placed within white western discourses of beauty, feminity and modernity. At the same time her portrayal led to popular racial discourses on assimilation, primitivity and exoticism. Exploring her brief time as a film star provides insight not only into the film and the Charles Chauvels' attempt to represent Aboriginal people on film, but also into the ambiguous experience of being a traditional Aboriginal woman and a film star at the same time.