Director Warwick Thornton On How The Southern Cross Became Australia's Swastika

"Australians are incredibly fucking lazy, you know? Unbelievably lazy. They don't Google, they don't really want information, so you have to give it to them."

Warwick Thornton doesn't hold back when asked why he made his documentary We Don't Need A Map, which looks at the history of the Southern Cross in both Indigenous and western culture, and how as a symbol its meaning and reputation has been tarnished by people rallying behind it as a totem of white nationalism. Indeed, Thornton's film was sparked by an offhand comment he made in 2010 that the Southern Cross was being co-opted for racist purposes, not unlike the swastika.

While there's a subsection of vocal, aggressive thugs using the Southern Cross to spout loathsome 'Fuck off, we're full' rhetoric, We Don't Need A Map explores the rich, vast history of the cosmic constellation and the complicated history of depictions of it, with Thornton himself acting as both tour guide and student as he travels all around Australia gleaning wisdom from Indigenous elders, academic sources and outspoken commentators, including hip hop artist Briggs.

"There's a lot of information out there about the Southern Cross but people don't get off their arses to go look for it - we just sit on our arses and let shit happen," says Thornton. "So it was really a case of, 'Here, look at this.' And you can learn something if you want. Or you can change the fucking channel - it's all cool. But giving people access to information - taking the horse to water, at the very least - is important."

Thornton, the director of the acclaimed 2009 feature Samson And Delilah, is quick to admit that he's not being didactic with this film, and that the process was an educational experience for him as well. "The journey was as much for me," he says. "I hate those kinds of films where the filmmaker says, 'I'm really important, come with me so I can teach you stuff.' It was important that I don't even know what the fuck I'm doing, so the audience can come with me. There's a lot of the film about the culture that I didn't know, and I'm a blackfella. The interpretation of Southern Cross up in Arnhem Land, for instance. So there's a shitload out there, and you just want to pass it on."

"Australians are incredibly fucking lazy, you know? Unbelievably lazy."

Something that emerges during We Don't Need A Map is how the Southern Cross is viewed differently by black and white culture, with western eyes drawn - even subconsciously - to the Christian symbolism of the cross while Indigenous legends see the constellation as points on a cosmic journey. And getting that information proved a tough but worthwhile process.

"There are certain people who have the right to talk about Southern Cross and what it is and how it is used," says Thornton. "We couldn't just talk to any blackfella."

At the same, the filmmaker says he was happy to add a few different voices into the mix. "Yeah, totally, there was a lot of ebb and flow," he laughs. "I talked to some rock stars because I like their company - they're shit-stirrers and they don't hold back. But it's a shared history - Southern Cross has a lot of wonderful things about it and a lot of shitty things about it. I thought it was very important that we share what we know with other Australians about how country evolved, about how nationalism evolved, about why we're all so afraid of other people coming here and we use that symbol of the star to stop them from coming here."

And while there's plenty of pride and fascination in the long history and varied interpretations of the Southern Cross in We Don't Need A Map, Thornton also sees the film as a cautionary tale in some regards.

"A symbol of democracy can turn very quickly into a symbol of 'us against them'," he says. "It's a beautiful symbol that's been hijacked by a lot of dickheads. If someone's grandfather fought in a war and they want to use the Southern Cross to pay tribute to that, no one's saying they can't. But people are having to get rid of it now because other people have wrecked it for everyone by being dickheads. So it's about where we're going as a country, how we're shutting ourselves down like America seems to be at the moment and how other countries have in the past. We're going down that path in a way - we're travelling a lot slower than what happened in the 1930s - but it's a slope we could easily slip down if we're not careful. We've got to be talking about it now, having conversations to make sure it doesn't fuckin' happen."

We Don’t Need a Map airs 23 Jul at 8.30pm on NITV and SBS