Monday, 18 May 2015
Introduction
Hello. My name is Declan Forrest and welcome to my blog. I am a student at Charles Sturt University studying a bachelor of information studies. This semester I am learning about literature and other resources for children and young people. In this blog you will find a reading guide aimed at young adults on the subject of Aboriginal Australian literature. Part 1 contains 10 literary works, and part 2 provides 5 web links.
Part 1: 10 Works of Aboriginal literature for young people
1. “Gracey” - James Moloney
Moloney, J. (1994). Gracey. Brisbane:
University of Queensland Press.
Available as a CD-book
from Brisbane City Council Libraries:
This novel tells the
story of a teenage Aboriginal girl, Gracey, who, after spending years at a
prestigious boarding school in Brisbane, returns to her small hometown of
Cunningham for the holidays. Here, her
brother, Dougy discovers human remains buried at a building site. Gracey convinces Dougy to surrender the
remains to the local police. Once this
is done, the police investigate and find further human bones. Eventually, Gracey learns that these bones
constitute a violent part of her family history.
The story is told from the perspective of three
different narrators: Gracey, Dougy, and
a Caucasian police officer. Jameyson
(1995, para. 7) suggests that this confronts readers with assorted sensations,
reactions, and questions. This makes
Gracey a rich reading experience.
Furthermore, readers curious about other cultures may learn from
Gracey’s struggle to reconcile her desire to uncover the truth about her
Aboriginal heritage with her attempts to fit in with her predominately
Caucasian school mates. A final appeal
of this book to adolescent readers is that it affirms that issues regarding
race, justice, politics, friendship, and family are universal to young people
of all backgrounds (Jameyson, 1995, para.7).
2. “Deadly Unna?” - Phillip Gwynne
Gwynne, P. (1998).
Deadly unna? Camberwell, Vic: Penguin Books.
Available as an MP3 book from Brisbane City Council
Libraries:
“Deadly Unna?” is set in recent times in a small South
Australian peninsula, and is divided into two sections: “Winter” and “Summer”. The peninsula is also divided into two sections: The Port, where the Caucasians reside, and
The Point, where the Aborigines live.
“Winter” focuses on the friendship between Caucasian, Gary “Blacky”
Black, and Aboriginal, Dumby; two team mates on the local young Australian
rules football team as they progress to the grand final. Blacky is the reluctant first ruck of the
team. Whereas Dumby is the undisputed
star.
“Summer” deals with Blacky’s relationship with an
Aboriginal teenager, Cathy. This creates
tensions between Blacky and other members of “The Port”.
As young adults have a need to develop relationships
(McDonald, 1986, p. 104), Blacky’s disapproved of friendships with Aborigines
in a largely segregated town may interest this novel’s audience.
The content and language of the novel is
confronting. Themes such as, racism,
violence, crime, and drug and alcohol abuse are explored. Gwynne clearly does not talk down or
condescend to his young audience; a point that teenage readers may find
refreshing.
Another aspect of this book that may draw in young people is that it has won “The Children’s Book of the Year: Older Readers” and “The Victorian Premier’s Prize for Young Adult Fiction” awards. According to Von Drasek (2012, p. 39), young people are enthusiastic about such awards. Moreover, Killeen (2009, p.66) contends that book awards generate discussion about young adult literature: a fact that may attract teenagers to this work.
Another aspect of this book that may draw in young people is that it has won “The Children’s Book of the Year: Older Readers” and “The Victorian Premier’s Prize for Young Adult Fiction” awards. According to Von Drasek (2012, p. 39), young people are enthusiastic about such awards. Moreover, Killeen (2009, p.66) contends that book awards generate discussion about young adult literature: a fact that may attract teenagers to this work.
3. “Maybe Tomorrow” - Boori Pryor & Meme
McDonald
Pryor, B. & McDonald, M. (1998). Maybe
tomorrow. Crows Nest, NW: Allen & Unwin.
Available as an e-book from Brisbane City Council
Libraries:
This memoir is a collaboration between the indigenous
author, Boori Pryor, and his Caucasian partner, Meme McDonald. Pryor is a storyteller and performer. At first he plies his trade in small
Aboriginal communities. However, his
talents are such that he finds himself performing all over Australia. The book focuses on the sometimes strained
relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia.
Pryor has inherited the Aboriginal tradition of
oral-storytelling, and according to Ridge (2006, p. 159), has done so with
great skill. This skill translates well
into the writing of “Maybe Tomorrow”. As
story-telling is an integral component of Aboriginal culture (Ridge, 2006, p.
159), young people interested in learning about this culture may benefit from
this memoir. Of note is the fact that
this book has become a landmark in the field of Australian young adult fiction,
having been referenced in textbooks, bibliographies, and works of cultural
criticism (La Marca, n.d.). In addition
to this, Ridge (2006, p. 157) asserts that “Maybe Tomorrow” should be read by
every Australian.
4. “Yumba Days” - Herb Wharton
Wharton, H. (1999).
Yumba days. Brisbane:
University of Queensland Press.
Available as an e-book from Brisbane City Council
Libraries:
Set in the rural settlement of Yumba, young
Aboriginal, Herbie is in search of adventure.
“Yumba Days” follows these adventures:
from schoolyard mischief, to a roving teenage stockman, and finally as
an author travelling the world. This is
another work that explores the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
Australia as Herbie’s identity is shaped by traditional Aboriginal elders and
the Caucasian townsfolk of Yumba. This
component of the book could translate into a sense of cultural understanding
for its audience.
This work is largely autobiographical; an element that
may be welcomed by readers. This could
be because Green (2014, 82) relates that reading biographic material is an
effective way to learn about non-fiction, and therefore the world. Further to this, Wharton hopes to dispel any
myths that may exist surrounding the Australian outback in his literature and
to present rural life as it is for Aborigines (Abbey, 2007, p. 14). Given young people’s taste for realism
(Claasz, 2014, p. 50) this endeavour may make this book attractive.
5. “Swallow
the Air” - Tara Winch
Winch, T. (2006).
Swallow the air. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.
Available from Brisbane City Council Libraries:
This is a collection of stories about a female
Aboriginal teenager, May, whose mother commits suicide. She is forced to live with her aunty where
she becomes surrounded by violence. Her
brother then disappears, causing May to go in search of her father and her own
identity. This search takes her across
Australia.
Lucashenko (2013) suggests that an appealing quality
of this collection of stories is that the themes explored, which include
family, growing up, and finding one's place in the world are universal, and
that although May is Aboriginal, her experiences are not unique to that
culture.
Wyndham (2007) reports that although Winch ties the themes
in this book to broader social issues, it is never done so in a didactic
fashion. Young adult readers may
appreciate this attribute. Also of
interest for this age group could be the fact that rather than being composed
as one long narrative, Winch divides the novel into 20 short stories. Moses (2006) found this decision to be
“fresh”, “appealing”, and “new”.
6. “Wild Cat Falling” - Colin Johnson
Johnson, C. (1965).
Wild cat falling. North
Ryde, NSW: Angus & Roberson
Publishers.
Available from University of Queensland Libraries:
“Wild Cat Falling” concerns an anonymous young
Aboriginal delinquent. It is divided
into 3 sections. The first deals with
his release from prison. The second
describes how this young man spends his freedom. The third details the circumstances of how he
returns to a life of incarceration.
Although this novel is not necessarily aimed at young
adults, teenage readers may be able to relate to the main character, whose age
is revealed to be 19. Furthermore, the
novel has been included as part of the English curriculum in some Queensland
high schools.
What separates this work from others in this reading
guide is that the main character of “Wild Cat Falling” is by no means a
hero. He congregates with gangs, is
violent, drinks much alcohol, and makes continuously foolish decisions. Durack (1979) argues that it is this lack of
sympathy for the protagonist that challenges the reader. Durack continues to indicate that the novel
explains how society creates characters such as this “mock-hero”. “Wild Cat Falling” may entice young people
confused about the social issues and problems of Aboriginal Australia by
describing “the making of a teenage Aboriginal criminal” (Hart, 1988, p. 16).
7. “Heartsick for Country”
Morgan, S., Mia, T. &
Kwaymullina, B. (Eds.). (2008). Heartsick
for country. Fremantle, WA:
Fremantle Press.
Available as an e-book
from Fremantle Press:
This book is an anthology
of true stories that celebrate Australian Aborigines' love for and connection
with their land and country. The title
of the book refers to the fact that Indigenous people are “heartsick” for their
country as much of it is being destroyed by logging, converting land to salt
fields, the desecration of rock art and other spiritually significant sites,
and, extinction.
The fact that this is a
collection of stories, rather than one long narrative means that adolescent
readers can simply read the content that they find the most interesting or appealing.
Additionally, it is apparent
that a number of young adults are interested in environmental issues
(VonAncken, 2013, para. 1). The material
in this book may resonate with such youths and allow them to understand that
environmental issues are of particular significance to Aboriginal people, who
have an affinity with their land.
8. “Riding the Black Cockatoo” - John Danalis
Danalis, J. (2009).
Riding the black cockatoo. Crows
Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Available from University
of Queensland Libraries:
In this true story,
Danalis recounts having an Aboriginal skull on the family mantelpiece. The skull was simply known as “Mary”, and
Danalis never questioned its presence.
However, as he grew older, he became curious about the origin of “Mary”
and sought to find answers. His quest
takes him across Australia and culminates in “Mary” being returned to her
ancestral homeland in Wamba Wamba country.
According to Prawer (n.d.), in this book Danalis learns that his views
on Indigenous Australia has been limited to a Caucasian view of Aboriginal
history, and that this history is richer than he knew. This constrained perspective on Aboriginal
culture may be shared by the audience of this reading guide, and by reading
this book, young adults may come away with a much deeper understanding of this
culture. Indeed Prawer (n.d.) maintains
that reading “Riding the Black Cockatoo” would be invaluable to high school
students.
9. “Papunya School Book of Country and History”
Papunya school. (2001).
Papunya school book of country and history. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Available from Brisbane
City Council Libraries:
This book, written by the
staff and students of Papunya school in the Northern Territory is a brief
history of the Indigenous inhabitants of central Australia. It outlines the history Indigenous culture
prior to the appearance of Europeans, and how this culture changed when
explorers, settlers and government arrived.
The book is visually appealing, containing hand drawn illustrations,
historical and contemporary photographs, maps, and diagrams. Ridge (2002, p. 799) considers this work to
be ideal for young people as it conveys how non-indigenous Australians changed
the life of Aboriginal people and their land forever. However, the “Papunya School Book of Country
and History” is aimed at a slightly younger audience than that of this reading
guide. Despite this, this book was
selected for two reasons. The first is
that Edwards and Potts (2008, p. 127) identify low literacy levels among some
young adults. It is hoped that a
visually engaging work with comparatively simpler text will attract such young
adults, and once this book is absorbed, may pique their interest in the more
advanced works in the reading guide. The
other reason this book was selected is that it demonstrates to young people
that they need not be passive consumers of literature, but they can, in fact,
create stories of their own.
10. “This is the Dreaming” - Jean Ellis
Ellis, J. (1994). This is the dreaming: Australian Aboriginal legends. North Blackburn, Vic.: Collins
Dove.
Available from University
of Queensland libraries:
Ellis, an experienced
story-teller, has compiled a number of traditional Aboriginal legends from
different Aboriginal groups and locations.
It comprises dreamtime stories that concern the creation of the world,
great ancestor spirits, and how the characteristics of Australian animals and
landscape came to be. These stories give
insight into human virtues and vices, such as loyalty, generosity, ambition,
and jealousy.
The majority of the books
in this reading guide deal with largely contemporary Aboriginal life. However, literature is a relatively recent development
to reach Aboriginal Australians, as for thousands of years they relied upon
traditional oral histories. The stories
in “This is the Dreaming” preserve this tradition and gives readers an insight
into the beliefs of Aboriginal Australia prior to European settlement. Although not specifically aimed at young
adult audiences this book is a suitable selection for teenagers as it is more
involved than the numerous junior works on this subject matter, yet not as
complex as more academic works relating to Aboriginal legends.
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