It wasn't until 1901 that the various Australian states united as a single country, although Australia Day itself actually celebrates the arrival of the first fleet of British settlers in 1788. Either way, the time since those events are both a small drop in the ocean compared to Aboriginal history, which at an estimated 80,000 years old is the worlds longest surviving continuous culture. Cave paintings in Europe could be found from a similar time period, but require educated guesswork to decipher, whereas those found in Australia would be understood instantly to anyone who knows contemporary Aboriginal culture. A tale of jealousy and unrequited love, Ten Canoes is a celebrarion of this culture, and the first film made entirely in Aboriginal languages, with different cuts featuring narration in either English or Yol‹u Matha by celebrated actor David Gulpilil.