AustLit

A colourful, fun and educational First Nations book about bugs!

'Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country is a fascinating, illustrated science book that takes kids inside the life of termites through storytelling from the Gurindji People.

'Did you know there are four types of termite poo? Or that a warm paste made from termite mound is used to strengthen a Gurindji baby’s body and spirit? Or that spinifex (which termites eat) is one of the strongest plants in the world?

'Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex plants growing in the hot sun.

'Written in traditional Gurindji, Gurindji Kriol and English (with a QR code to an audio version spoken in language), Tamarra is a truly original story with beautiful artwork that takes readers on an educational and cultural journey through Gurindji Country.' (Publication summary) 

'Mudburra country is located in the middle of the Northern Territory. Our people live in Elliott and Marlinja. In this book we show you how we prepare some bush medicines such as bush vicks, and how we collect different tucker, such as hunting turkeys and collecting mussels. We also show you some of our country at Narrwan.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Mudburra is an Aboriginal language of the Northern Territory (Australia). Many Mudburra people live in Elliott, Marlinja, Yarralin and Kalkaringi. The Mudburra to English Dictionary contains Mudburra words with English translations, illustrations and detailed encyclopaedic information about plants, animals and cultural practices. Also included is a guide to Mudburra grammar, an English index and handsigns used by Mudburra people. This volume is ideal for both beginners and advanced speakers of Mudburra, for translators and interpreters, and for anyone interested in learning more about Mudburra language and culture.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Ngarinyman is an Aboriginal language of the northern Victoria River District in the Northern Territory (Australia). Many Ngarinyman people live in Yarralin, Bulla Camp, Amanbidji​ (Kildurk) and around Timber Creek.

'The Ngarinyman to English Dictionary contains Ngarinyman words with English translations, illustrations and detailed encyclopaedic information about plants, animals and cultural practices.

'Also included is a guide to Ngarinyman grammar and an English index. This volume is ideal for both beginners and advanced speakers of Ngarinyman, for translators and interpreters, and for anyone interested in learning more about Ngarinyman language and culture.

'The Ngarinyman to English Dictionary is a part of the AIATSIS​ Indigenous Language Preservation: Dictionaries Project. This project is a response to the alarming rates of language loss in Australia, and aims to support the publication of Indigenous languages dictionaries.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Gurindji country is located in the southern Victoria River in the Northern Territory of Australia. Gurindji people became well known in the 1960s and 1970s due to their influence on Australian politics and the Indigenous land rights movement. They were instrumental in gaining equal wages for Aboriginal cattle station employees and they were also the first Aboriginal group to recover control of their traditional lands. In Karu, Gurindji women describe their child-rearing practices. Some have a spiritual basis, while others are highly practical in nature, such as the use of bush medicines. Many Gurindji ways of raising children contrast with non-Indigenous practices because they are deeply embedded in an understanding of country and family connections. This book celebrates children growing up Gurindji and honours those Gurindji mothers, grandmothers, assistant teachers and health workers who dedicate their lives to making that possible.  (Publication summary)

'When you rifle around in your purse for some change soon, you might be lucky enough to pull out a new 50 cent coin, launched today by the Royal Australian Mint to celebrate the International Year of Indigenous Languages.'  (Introduction)

'The Gurindji people of the Northern Territory are perhaps best-known for their walk-off of Wave Hill Station in 1966, protesting against mistreatment by the station managers. The strike would become the first major victory of the Indigenous land rights movement. Many discussions of station life are focused on the harsh treatment of Aboriginal workers.

'Songs from the Stations portrays another side of life on Wave Hill Station. Amongst the harsh conditions and decades of mistreatment, an eclectic ceremonial life flourished during the first half of the 20th century. Constant travel between cattle stations by Indigenous workers across north-western and central Australia meant that Wave Hill Station became a cross-road of desert and Top End musical styles. As a result, the Gurindji people learnt songs from the Mudburra who came further east, the Bilinarra from the north, the Nyininy from the west, and the Warlpiri from the south.

'This book is the first detailed documentation of wajarra, public songs performed by the Gurindji people in response to contemporary events in their community. Featuring five song sets known as Laka, Mintiwarra, Kamul, Juntara, and Freedom Day, it is an exploration of the cultural exchange between Indigenous communities that was fostered by their involvement in the pastoral industry.' (Publication summary)

'In a time before radio or even gramophones, songs were shared between Aboriginal groups at large social gatherings. Some songs were so popular they spread enormous distances.

'One such song known as Wanji-wanji has travelled some thousands of kilometres. Incredibly, the lyrics have remained unchanged over this distance and the past 150 years it has been sung.' (Introduction)

'On 23 August 1966, approximately 200 Gurindji stockmen and their families walked off Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory, protesting against poor working conditions and the taking of their land by pastoralists. Led by Vincent Lingiari, this land-mark action in 1966 precipitated the equal wages case in the pastoral industry and the establishment of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. While it is well known that the Walk Off was driven by the poor treatment of Aboriginal workers, what is less well known is the previous decades of massacres and killings, stolen children and other abuses by early colonists. Told in both English and Gurindji, these compelling and detailed oral accounts of the events that Gurindji elders either witnessed or heard from their parents and grandparents, will ignite the interest of audiences nationally and internationally and challenge revisionist historians who question the extent of frontier battles and the legitimacy of the Stolen Generations. ...' (Source: AIATSIS website)

'Banjo Ryan's stories focus on the brutality perpetrated by the policeman Gordon Stott and black tracker Kurnmali. Ryan either witnessed these incidents or heard about them during his time working on Waterloo and Limbunya Stations. The incidents would have occurred in the 1940s when Mounted Constable Gordon Stott was posted to Timber Creek. Unsurprisingly, none of the Timber Creek Police Journals" record such incidents. The journals are difficult to read due to Stott's handwriting, which makes dating Banjo Ryan's individual stories problematic. But it is clear from entries over the years that he spent much time patrolling stations south-west of Timber Creek, including Waterloo, Kildurk, Limbunya and Victoria River Downs. Other sources corroborate these accounts of travel. In 1948 he is recorded as having left his dog Barry with Natalie Simmons, the governess at Victoria River Downs.15 He also travelled to Fitzroy Station just east of Timber Creek regularly. The registration of a rifle is given as the reason Stott visited Waterloo Station in Banjo's first story and indeed, a large part of these patrols involved enforcing the registration of firearms, vehicles and dogs, according to the Timber Creek Police Journals.' (Introduction)

'A policeman called Gordon Stott travelled down from Timber Creek. He arrived at Waterloo Station and the Aboriginal workers asked his police boy Kurnmaili Japalyi, 'Why are the two of you here?'' (Introduction)

'Bow Hills Police Station was established in 1913 just north of the original Wave Hill Station to quell the violence in the southern Victoria River District area. In general, however, the police acted on behalf of the pastorals and little protection was afforded the Gurindji, Maingin and Bilinarra people of the area. Jimmy Manngayarri showed historian Minoru Hokari a bloodwood tree where Aboriginal people were chained up and shot by police) '  (Introduction)

'The policeman at Bow Hills used to tie Aboriginal people up. He would drag them along to the police station by chains and secure them to a tree. The policeman would chain them to a tree. Then he used to beat them. He beat them so badly that they couldn't get away and there'd be blood everywhere. That's when they'd set the dogs on them.'  (Introduction)

'In these stories, Violet Wadrill, Topsy Dodd and Ronnie Wavehill discuss three Afghan storekeepers. Although Afghans are credited with bring camels to the area, the animals were used well before Afghan cameleers arrived in Gurindji country, for example, Nat Buchanan commonly used camels in droving and his explorations of areas south of Wave Hill. Nonetheless, camels are strongly associated with the Afghan storekeepers who came later, although they were using trucks by the time of the events recounted here.' (Introduction)

'Two Afghans used to live here. I saw them when I was a child, not too small. They were called Walyji and Ajarraman. We used to go and scrounge food from them along with Theresa Yibwoin (whose mother Amy Ngalngarri worked for the Afghans) and her group of friends. We would come begging from them here.' (Introduction)

' Biddy Wavehill, Violet Wadrill and Vincent Lingiari's account of work on the station is typical of Aboriginal accounts of the time. Most Gurindji people lived and worked at Jinparrak (old Wave Hill Station), along with Mudburra, Warlpiri, Bilinarra, Malngin and Ngarinyman people. This station was owned by the English lord, William Vestey, who was the largest land holder in Australia at the time, owning a number of cattle stations across the north of Australia. The conditions of the Aboriginal people working and living on the stations were appalling. Other Gurindji accounts from Gurindji people, and a report by Ronald Berndt and Catherine Berndt which was commissioned by the Vesteys to investigate the welfare of Aboriginal employees concur, describing the conditions as substandard. Two-hundred-and-fifty people, including ninety-two men, lived in a small area. Gurindji people received no wages for their work. ' (Introduction)

'A long time ago we used to work at Parlakuna ,(WL, now Delamere Bore) for Vestey which was a part of the Number 2 Camp area. My husband (Jimmy Wavehill) was working with Sabu. They were mustering cattle this way. They used to come this way a long time ago and us women would come with them. We used to wait for them at camp in the east of the yard while they branded the cattle there. We stayed here then until late afternoon when they would return to us. We would cook some bread and meat for them. This was when Vestey was running the station and he used to send us here. Sabu was working at Number 2 Camp then. Alright, we didn't get any money there, nothing.'  (Introduction)

'Ronnie Wavehill and Violet Wadrill's stories recount the annual time on the stations known as 'holiday time' by local Aboriginal people and referred to more generally as 'walkabout' in Australian folklore. It occurred between November and January depending on when the rains started, as described by Peter 'Sabu' Sing...' (Introduction)