AustLit

'This memoir by remarkable East Pilbara Aboriginal man Monty Hale (Minyjun) (1934–2013) is all the more astonishing for having largely been written by Minyjun in his own Nyangumarta language. It has been made more accessible to a wider audience through the English translation undertaken by Barbara Hale, Mark Clendon, and earlier by Malcolm Brown, who translated some episodes for the Strelley school newsletter. At about 100 printed pages of Nyangumarta, it must surely be one of the principal contributions to Nyangumarta literature. Accordingly, the limits of this review should immediately be acknowledged. With no knowledge of the Nyangumarta language, I am not in a position to evaluate the key achievements of this intellectual labour of love, namely, its use of Nyangumarta and the quality of the English translation. I am forced to focus on the English translation alone.' (Introduction)