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The Australian Literature Resource
Welcome to our latest edition of Black Words e-news aimed at keeping you up-to-date with new books going into the Black Words Research Community and with what's happening on the ground with our team members around the country.
Email us on info-austlit@austlit.edu.au or use the Black Words feedback form.
National Coordinator, Dr Anita Heiss, will be presenting various talks in relation to Black Words, Aboriginal literature and her own writing in Australia and overseas. You can see and hear more at:
- WA: Big Sky Festival, Geraldton, 11-13 September 2009
- WA: The Sprung Writers Festival, Albany 17-20 September 2009:
- Spain: European Association for the Studies of Australia, Mallorca, 23-25 September
A centrepiece of this year's NAIDOC celebrations in Brisbane was the play 'Oodgeroo: Bloodline to Country' written by Sam Watson. 'Oodgeroo: Bloodline to Country' explores Oodgeroo's hijacking experience by Palestinian terrorists in Dubai, 1974, and how the memory of this tragedy remained with her for the rest of her days.
According to Watson, Oodgeroo's: '...life was a wonderful journey...The power of her writing and her political work for Aboriginal rights, especially in the earlier period of the 1960s, made an enormous impact' (Green Left Review, 26 July 2009). Sam Watson is a renowned Aboriginal political activist, playwright, author, filmmaker and lecturer at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at The University of Queensland.
See the Black Words records for Sam Watson and Oodgeroo and visit Black Words in AustLit.
Kenny Laughton is an Arrernte man whose family has spent generations serving and protecting Australia. His grandfather and father served in the Army and when Laughton was a young man he too joined the Australian Army serving two tours during the Vietnam War. His book Not Quite Men, No Longer Boys was well received by those who participated in the Vietnam War. Laughton is a wonderful storyteller, his words read as if he was sitting there sharing the story with you. For more information see the Black Words record for Kenny Laughton to access his biography and an information about his works.
This extraordinary book is of cultural and historical significance, telling the story of the earliest beginnings of the Anangu people through the local invasion and settlement right up to the nuclear bomb tests at the Maralinga site between 1955 and 1963.
Maralinga: The Anangu Story was the result of extensive research and community consultation. It is written in the style of the Papunya School Book of Country and History also published by Allen & Unwin.
Yalata and Oak Valley community elders joined multi-award winning author Christobel Mattingley as storytellers, translators and artists to tell the story of what they experienced at Maralinga, before the bomb and after.
This is a history book for ALL Australians. A glossary of Anangu words at the back highlights the importance of language in the present as well as in the past.
Notes for teachers on how to use the book in class can be downloaded from: Allen and Unwin website.
This young adult novel was written in 1994 by 'the Sunshine Girls' of Eagle Class from Maningrida Community Education Centre and their teacher Derek Pugh. The book was created so that there would be more young adult literature that is relevant for Indigenous teenagers.
Tammy Damulkurra is a likeable character, created by the Sunshine Girls who have poured a wide range of experiences into the Tammy's life. The novel follows Tammy as she makes her way from girl to young adult. The writing depicts scenes that place the reader in the community setting. The use of language and culture contributes to the realism of the novel.
Tammy's journey and her problems in love and relationships are supported by the family unit which reconnects her with the more important things in life that are found outside of the enclosed daily life she is immersed in.
Jakobi and Nan by Esther Fischer and Kerensa Kerri McCann, published by Black Ink Press
Bush Secrets by Tjalaminu Mia and Jessica Lister, published by Freemantle Press
The Great Cold by Gladys Milroy, published by Freemantle Press
From the desk of ... Dr Anita Heiss (Black Words coordinator) – I've recently returned from presenting workshops at the Black Writers Reunion and Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annual event brings together Black American writers to discuss and learn about the practice of writing, the process of publishing and the role of marketing. My experience and feedback can be found on the ABC Indigenous portal.
From the desk of ... Janine Dunleavy (University of Queensland) – Since I took up my position with Black Words in June, I have been learning to index and I am finding it to be a much more complex and challenging task than I imagined. However, I am enjoying the process as I am learning about things I would possibly not otherwise have experienced. I feel privileged to be familiarising myself with the work of deadly Black authors and getting paid for such an enjoyable task.
From the desk of ... Jake Milroy (University of Western Australia) – I have recently joined the Board at Yirra Yaakin Noongah Theatre in Perth and am currently writing a column for the next issue of the Westerly due in September. Most recently I have been indexing all manner of stories in Black Words, many of which are oral and children's stories.
From the desk of ... Yaritji Green (Flinders University) – Since the last newsletter, NAIDOC week has come and gone. It was a cold rainy Friday morning when I arrived at Victoria Square in Adelaide for the march through town. It was fun huddling under umbrellas threatening to upturn into the wind. People were laughing and chanting, just having a good time in solidarity. As for my Black Words work, I have indexed websites with Indigenous creation stories. One in particular was from a language learning site for Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay, it is amazing how technology can be used to preserve one's culture. See Guwaabal: Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay Stories.
Listen Deeply, Let These Stories In, is being published in September 2009 ... Nominations are sought for 2010 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature ... Help support Indigenous literacy all year round by going on-line and checking the Indigenous Literacy Project website and seeing what you can do as an individual or organisation ... Henrietta Marrie, the first Indigenous Australian to be appointed to a full-time professional position with a United Nations Agency, is speaking atThe Red Box, State Library of Queensland, 18th September 2009.
Newsletter edited by Yaritji Green
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