Below are a selection short stories by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander writers and each of the stories is available in full text format online.
From a curriculum perspective, they are especially suitable for use in the Middle and Senior Years as own-choice reading for students, to develop comprehension and/or to model features of short story writing. Use them by themselves, centre one or more of them in a general short story/creative writing unit, and/or use them to focus on writing by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
From the perspective of ACARA's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross Curriculum Priority, the stories may contribute to a number of Organising Ideas, including:
Code |
Organising Idea |
---|---|
OI.2 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities maintain a special connection to and responsibility for Country/Place. |
OI.3 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways. |
OI.5 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing. |
OI.6 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples live in Australia as first peoples of Country or Place and demonstrate resilience in responding to historic and contemporary impacts of colonialism. |
OI.8 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' family and kinship structures are strong and sophisticated. |
Of special interest is OI.9: The significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the present and the past are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally. It is hoped that these classroom resources will celebrate the diversity and scope of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, and broaden their readership.
Factors relevant to use in particular school contexts (e.g. coarse language or sexual references) are made explicit at the beginning of each story.
Please remember that this is a small, curated selection of short stories written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. Regard this as a starting point in a journey of literary exploration.
Note: For consistency, the comprehending questions for each story use the taxonomy or skills for reading and interpreting fiction designed by George Hillocks and Larry Ludlow (1984) (also see pages 5-9 of this NCTE publication). However, it is not intended that these be used as the sole strategy for supporting students to explore the stories. As relevant, further suggestions have been made as a starting point.
Scroll down the page to see the range of stories covered by these lesson plans, or select a story from the table below to jump directly to that section.
About the author
Professor Tony Birch is an award-winning Indigenous writer. His books include The White Girl (2019), Common People (a short story collection, 2017), and Ghost River (2015) which was developed from the short story currently being examined.
Summary of story
The unnamed narrator and his friend, Sonny, aim to be outlaws and spend much of their time with the river boys, a group of older men who live on the river and (at first glance) might be considered nothing more than alcoholics. However, through Moses, 'the undisputed boss' of the river boys, the narrator and Sonny learn more about the river, the 'ghost river'. After the death and disappearance of all of the men but Moses, the boys are told by him to leave and stop wasting their lives - to 'grow up'. However, the narrator does not understand what Moses is trying to tell them until an enigmatic, near death encounter with the river.
Genre
Narrative to resolve a complication in a story - although there is a story within a story as well
Features of interest
Reader advisory
The story contains occasional coarse language.
Comprehending
In order to scaffold understanding and interpretation of the story, students can work individually or in small groups to answer these questions.
Additionally, students could be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
In many ways, this is a straight forward story which unfolds chronologically. However, it is worthwhile examining how Birch weaves together past, present and future, e.g. by weaving in the story of 'the Ghost River' and connecting that to the fates of the river boys, through references to story (e.g. 'Each of the river boys carried the story of his life...') and seemingly premature reveals about characters' fates (e.g. re Moses: 'He slowed down round the fire, could hardly sing a note and ended up blind in one eye.'). Consider the effect of this approach on readers.
Visit the Reconciliation Australia website and discover more about Dreaming. Consider the ways these ideas are present in Birch's story 'The Ghost River'.
Writer's Craft: Language Use
Note too the contrasting agency of the river, e.g. for the narrator, the river is a passive place to swim and jump into; for Moses, the river has direct agency ('The river, she went on and on...she's there to take care of you'). Discuss what this reveal about their contrasting world views and how this relates to readers' understanding of the story.
About the author
Samantha Faulkner is a Wuthuthi/Yadhaigana woman from Cape York Peninsula and Badu and Moa Islands in the Torres Strait. She has written Life B'long Ali Drummond: A Life in the Torres Strait (2007) and the current story was published in the International Writing Program Collections.
Summary of story
Sally, a young woman in her early twenties from Thursday Island, is packing to visit her home after time away at university in Brisbane. As she packs in a somewhat melancholy mood, she remembers the Island, her family, and what she misses about the place. The story finishes with Sally re-reading a letter from her Aka (grandmother) offering her wisdom.
Genre
A slice of life story with an embedded letter and poem
Features of interest
Reader advisory
This is very suitable for school use.
Comprehending
These questions can be used by students to help explore Samantha Faulkner's story, 'Maiem (Welcome)'.
In addition, students could be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
Writer's Craft: Language Use
About the author
Originally from the Gold Coast, Raymond Gates became interested in writing horror stories during primary school. He has said that one 'of the things that' he enjoys 'about horror is that it's actually a very open sort of genre.’
Summary of story
Mikey, the first-person narrator, has been involved in a car accident, suffered serious injuries and is waiting - hopefully to be rescued, although the title can also be read as 'waiting to die'. The story alternates between the sound of Mikey's heart-beat (bom-bomp) and his interior monologue as he lies injured.
Genre
Narrative to resolve a complication in a story
Features of interest
Reader advisory
This story contains frequent coarse language and adult themes.
Comprehending
After reading the story, students can work either individually or in small groups to answer questions scaffolding their understanding and interpretation of 'Waiting'.
In addition, students might be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
Writer's Craft: Language Use
About the author
A descendant from the Eastern Islands of Erub in the Torres Strait Islands, Sylvia Nakachi also has blood ties to the Yupangathi Aboriginal people of Old Mapoon Mission, Western Cape York. She is a both a writer and artist.
Summary of story
The story begins with a lengthy evocation of the community of Mindingu and its attraction for tourists. Then, in moves into a snapshot of an event on a single Thursday morning: the meeting of Bab Knox and the sixteen year old, Hedge (named after Heath Ledger).
Genre
Depending on how you interpret the ending, this most readily resembles an Exemplum to evaluate characters and their behaviour. However, this could also be interpreted more neutrally as an anecdote.
Features of interest
Reader advisory
The story contains a minor drug reference.
Comprehending
After reading the story, individually or in small groups, students should explore 'Life in Mindingu' more closely using these questions as a guide.
In addition, students could be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
Writer's Craft: Language Use
About the author
Bunurong man Bruce Pascoe is probably best known for his book, Dark Emu, which explores land management and agricultural practices prior to colonisation. He writes fiction and and essays and has won numerous awards, including the National Dreamtime Awards — Dreamtime Person of the Year.
Summary of story
A father accompanies his adult son on a 4WD camping trip (presumably in Yengo National Park) to check sand traps for signs of feral animals as part of his son's (Jack) job. Along the way, Jack points out features of their Aboriginal heritage, while at night he sings songs the father has sung to him since birth. This evokes happy memories of the past. However, a list to a site where a family has stencilled their hands on the wall of a rock cave 'torches' the father's happiness as he laments his great mistake - having an affair with a younger woman. [It is worth noting that in Bruce Pascoe's book of selected stories and essays, Salt (2019), 'Big Yengo' has been republished in a section labelled 'Lament'.]
Genre
Narrative (road-trip style) to resolve a complication in a story with embedded Anecdotes
Features of interest
Reader's advisory
The story features occasional coarse language and sexual references.
Comprehending
After reading the story, students can answer these questions which will support them to individually or in small groups explore the story and its possible meanings more closely.
In addition, students can:
Writer's Craft: Structure
This overall story unfolds in a generally chronological fashion as we follow the narrator and young man on a 'road trip' - this is quite a common structure for stories. However, draw students' attention to the techniques used to weave the past and present, for example:
Writer's Craft: Language Use
About the author
Adrian Stanley is a Boandik person on his mother’s side from Robe in South Australia, and a Kalali person from the channel country in Queensland on his father’s side. Another story, 'Bad Breath', was published in the Griffith Review 66.
Summary of story
It is show day in an unnamed, small country town. The townsfolk, including Carl and Tracey the only Aboriginal people living in the town, have assembled for the judging of the best brew, best fresh produce, best cake and best flowers.
Genre
This is probably best categorised as an Anecdote (or a series of Anecdotes) to provide reactions to remarkable events. While it does judge people and their behaviours, it does not do so in the explicit way you might expect in an Exemplum.
Features of interest
Reader advisory
The story contains occasional, low-level coarse language, low-level sexual references, and references to excessive alcohol consumption.
Comprehending
After reading the story, students can work individually or in small groups to explore 'Show Day' using these guided questions.
In addition, students could be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
Writer's Craft: Language Use
About the author
Tara June Winch is of Wiradjuri, Afghan, and English heritage and is probably best known for her books Swallow the Air (2003), a short story collection, and The Yield (2019) which, in part, is a novel reclaiming Indigenous language, storytelling and identity. She has won numerous awards, including the Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian Premiers' Awards in 2017.
Summary of story
This is a series of (presumably real) memories of summers growing up in and around the beach and ocean on the south coast of New South Wales. The memories span the time from childhood through to adulthood.
Genre
This might be called a memoir, but it consists of a number of interconnected episodes which, taken as a whole, seem to make an judgement about the people in the story. As such, it could be regarded (technically) as an Exemplum.
Features of interest
Reader advisory
This is a very school-friendly story.
Comprehending
Using this set of questions, students can explore 'Summers Gone' either individually or in small groups.
In addition, students might be asked to:
Writer's Craft: Structure
Writer's Craft: Language Use
Creative
Create you own story, experimenting with some of the techniques used in the stories by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers that you have read. Here are some ideas:
Analytical
Write an analytical essay (taking either an invited or resistant reading) exploring one or more of the stories you have read. Below are sample questions.
Ensure students use specific evidence and examples from one or more relevant stories to support their claims.
Below are some example searches of material on BlackWords and AustLit, focusing on the kinds of materials in the lessons plans above. Clicking on these links will take you away from this page, but you can return easily by clicking on the back arrow on your browser.
BlackWords short stories All stories / Stories with full text |
BlackWords short stories with teaching resources |
Criticism of short stories (not exclusively BlackWords) |
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